CB2 cannabinoid receptors: new vistas

Over the years CB 2 cannabinoid receptors have received much less attention than CB 1 receptors, the latter mediating most of the psychoactive effects of cannabis. Primarily this was due to difficulties in assigning a physiological function to CB 2 receptors. In recent years this situation has changed, and CB 2 receptors have been implicated in processes as diverse as analgesia, hepatic fibrosis, bone growth, and atherosclerosis. This special issue of the British Journal of Pharmacology addresses these and other topics in CB 2 receptor research by compiling a series of reviews and primary research papers stemming from a meeting ‘ CB2 2 cannabinoid receptors: New vistas ’ that was held in Banff, Canada, from May 31 to June 3, 2007. British Journal of Pharmacology (2008) 153 , 177–178; doi: 10.1038/sj.bjp.0707617