Cannabis and cannabidiol: USP receives international award

Some research spans generations. In Ribeirão Preto, one such journey began decades ago, helping turn doubts into scientific questions, controversies into investigation, and hope into evidence. Now, this trajectory is gaining international recognition: the Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto da Universidade de São Paulo (FMRP-USP) will be honored with the CannaPortugal Global Cannabis Award 2026 for its scientific work related to cannabis and cannabidiol.

The award will be presented on October 17 on São Miguel Island, in the Azores, Portugal. The ceremony is part of the event organized by CannaPortugal, scheduled for October 16 and 17.

More than celebrating an isolated breakthrough, the recognition sheds light on a history built over approximately four decades, involving researchers, professionals from Hospital das Clínicas, graduate students, technical staff, and diverse research groups.

Cannabis and cannabidiol: why did USP receive international recognition?

FMRP-USP's history with cannabinoid research did not begin yesterday. The work developed in Ribeirão Preto helped build one of Brazil's best-known lines of investigation in the field of neuropsychiatry.

According to FMRP-USP, between 1940 and 2019, researchers from 62 countries published works related to cannabis and cannabidiol (CBD). During this period, Brazil ranked among the top five countries with the highest number of publications, contributing 138 articles.

A bibliometric survey published in 2022 in the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology analyzed 3,555 publications on cannabidiol produced between 2004 and 2021. The study identified the Universidade de São Paulo as the most productive and most-cited institution in the field, with 208 documents and 10,140 citations during the analyzed period.

The same survey identified Professor Francisco Silveira Guimarães as the most productive author among the analyzed researchers, with 51 documents. Antonio Waldo Zuardi and other USP researchers also stood out among the top names.

It is this scientific legacy that will be at the center of the tribute in Portugal.

For José Alexandre de Souza Crippa, a professor at FMRP-USP, the award represents something greater than the recognition of individual studies.

“The recognition that the Faculty will receive in Portugal represents, therefore, not just an award for specific discoveries, but for decades of building one of the most consistent and internationally recognized cannabinoid research lines developed in Brazil.”

LEARN MORE: Discover the trajectory of Brazilian research with cannabinoids

Research built as a team

The trajectory highlighted by the institution brings together professors José Alexandre de Souza Crippa, Antonio Waldo Zuardi, Francisco Silveira Guimarães, and Jaime Eduardo Cecílio Hallak, along with other faculty members, researchers, students, and technical staff.

For Francisco Silveira Guimarães, the recognition is also a result of bringing different areas of science together.

“I believe it reflects the work of a group, initiated by the pioneering studies of Prof. Antonio Waldo Zuardi, which over the past decades has been developing a truly ‘translational’ approach, with bidirectional collaborations between clinical and preclinical groups.”

Translational research aims precisely to bridge the knowledge generated in the laboratory with clinical investigation, creating a connection between experimental findings and potential healthcare applications.

This characteristic helps explain the diversity of studies conducted by FMRP-USP.

Cannabis and cannabidiol: from neuropsychiatry to fetal medicine

The research carried out by the faculty spans different fronts, including neuropsychiatry, cellular neurobiology, and fetal medicine.

One of the research lines investigated gastroschisis, a congenital malformation in which part of the fetus's abdominal organs develops outside the abdominal cavity. In an experimental rat model, researchers evaluated the effects of maternal CBD administration on the intestinal inflammation associated with the condition.

The study, published in the Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research, found a reduction in inflammatory markers in the intestines of fetuses exposed to the experimental treatment.

It is crucial, however, to make a fundamental distinction: results obtained in animal models do not mean that the same effect has been proven in pregnant women or human fetuses. The research helps formulate hypotheses and understand biological mechanisms, but further steps are required before any clinical conclusions can be drawn.

This caution is part of the very logic of science.

Guimarães emphasizes the importance of preclinical studies in understanding the central nervous system's function and the mechanisms involved in behavior.

“Preclinical studies in this area [of CBD] remain essential, given the understanding that behavior is an emergent property of the most complex system we know: the central nervous system.”

What do studies indicate about anxiety and epilepsy?

Another major front relates to mental health and neurological disorders.

Scientific literature on cannabidiol has grown significantly over the past decades, notably featuring investigations involving epilepsy, anxiety, schizophrenia, and other neuropsychiatric disorders. The bibliometric survey published in Frontiers in Pharmacology identified these very areas among the main focuses of scientific production on CBD.

In the field of epilepsy, cannabidiol gained international prominence following clinical trials that contributed to the development of compound-based medications indicated for specific epileptic syndromes, such as Dravet and Lennox-Gastaut. The scientific review highlights that epilepsy studies were one of the major frontiers in expanding clinical research with CBD.

However, this does not mean that cannabidiol is indiscriminately indicated for any form of epilepsy. Therapeutic indications depend on diagnosis, formulation, dosage, medical supervision, and specific evidence for each condition.

Cannabis and cannabidiol in Parkinson's research

Parkinson's disease is also among the areas investigated by FMRP-USP researchers.

Studies conducted by researchers at the institution evaluated potential effects of CBD on non-motor symptoms of the disease, including psychotic manifestations and sleep-related disturbances. A study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology specifically investigated the use of cannabidiol in Parkinson's patients presenting psychotic symptoms.

Another exploratory clinical trial, published in 2014, evaluated the use of CBD in patients with Parkinson's. The study included FMRP-USP researchers, among them Antonio Waldo Zuardi, Jaime Eduardo Cecílio Hallak, and José Alexandre Crippa.

A review published by USP's Revista de Medicina subsequently assessed the available evidence and emphasized that, although preclinical and clinical results were considered favorable in some aspects, evidence was not yet sufficient to recommend CBD as a treatment for Parkinson's patients. The authors advocated for further controlled studies with varying doses.

This point is especially important for anyone following the advancement of cannabinoid medicine: promising research is not synonymous with a proven treatment for everyone.

The challenge of understanding how CBD works

Over the years, FMRP-USP researchers also sought to go beyond the question “does it work or not?”.

The objective expanded to include more complex questions: how does the compound act in the brain? Which mechanisms are involved? What doses can produce certain effects? Who might benefit? What are the risks?

Crippa summarizes this shift in perspective: “We demonstrated the effects of CBD on anxiety, psychosis, and brain circuits through neuroimaging studies and advanced toward clinical investigations in different conditions [...] An important aspect of this journey was not stopping at merely demonstrating potential therapeutic effects, but seeking to understand how CBD acts in the brain, which doses are most appropriate, which patients may benefit, and what its limits and risks are.”

The pursuit of mechanisms also appears in studies on Parkinson's. Researchers affiliated with FMRP-USP investigated biological foundations that could explain possible effects of cannabidiol on the disease, including mechanisms related to neuroinflammation and neuroprotection.

Cannabis and cannabidiol: why does dose matter?

Among the primary lessons of this scientific journey within the world of cannabis and cannabidiol is a message that may sound simple, but is essential: more does not necessarily mean better.

Guimarães draws attention specifically to caution regarding dosage and the need for monitoring during the use of cannabinoid-based substances. 

“This is an important piece of knowledge regarding cannabis and cannabidiol , as it reinforces the need to properly monitor the doses being administered, dispelling the simplistic notion that if the drug is not being effective, one simply needs to keep increasing the dose.”

The warning becomes even more critical given the widespread popularity of CBD-based products.

The fact that a substance derived from cannabis and cannabidiol is studied or shows positive results in a given condition does not mean that any product containing the compound will produce the same effect. Formulation, concentration, route of administration, interaction with other medications, and individual characteristics can all alter the response.

Therefore, the therapeutic use of cannabis and cannabidiol should be guided by qualified healthcare professionals, especially when involving individuals who are already taking other medications.

An award looking to the past and to the future

The CannaPortugal Global Cannabis Awards 2026 ceremony is scheduled for October 17 on São Miguel Island, in the Azores. 

The program will bring together international experts, representatives from Anvisa, members of the Sociedade de Estudos da Cannabis Brasil, and patient associations, according to FMRP-USP.

The faculty will be represented by Professor José Alexandre de Souza Crippa.

CannaPortugal itself describes its Global Cannabis Awards as an event aimed at recognizing individuals, organizations, projects, and countries that have contributed to the advancement and understanding of cannabis, including science, healthcare, and industry development.

For FMRP-USP, the recognition comes after decades of investigation.

And perhaps that is the most beautiful part of this cannabis and cannabidiol story: before any award, there were questions. There were laboratories, patients, researchers, students, late study nights, hypotheses that were disproven, and others that opened new doors.

Science rarely moves in a straight line. It advances gradually, between breakthroughs and doubts, always demanding a dose of curiosity and another, equally important, dose of caution.

In the case of FMRP-USP, this journey helped place Brazil on the international map of research on cannabis and cannabidiol. 

The award in Portugal, therefore, represents not only a celebration of what has already been accomplished, but also a reminder that there is still much to discover.

And, when it comes to healthcare, perhaps that is science's greatest commitment: to keep asking questions before promising answers.