Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tanja Bagar is the director and chair of the expert council of the International Cannabinoid Institute ICANNA.

She teaches microbiology and ecoremediation at the Alma Mater Europaea Faculty and collaborates professionally and scientifically with the Austrian College for Health and Development. She is a member of the Pomurje Academy of Sciences and Arts, the Slovenian Biochemical Society and the Slovenian Psychological Association, and is one of the founders of the Society for Environmental Conservation and Protection.

She has gained extensive research experience in laboratories at the National Institute of Chemistry, the Faculty of Biotechnology, the National Laboratory for Health, Environment and Nutrition, the Topolšica Hospital, the Institute of Microbiology and Genetics at the Georg-August University of Gottingen in Germany, and the Institute of Cell Biology at the University of Edinburgh.

As a lecturer or student, she attends various conferences on cannabinoids and the endocannabinoid system, cannabis, nutrition... She deals with the microbiological aspect, cell biology, biochemistry and molecular biology in connection with the endocannabinoid system and the action of cannabinoids, laboratory analyses of cannabis products... She graduated in microbiology from the Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana. She continued her postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Medicine in Ljubljana, where she received her doctorate in biomedical sciences.

How come so few people know about your institute?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tanja Bagar: The ICANNA Institute – International Cannabinoid Institute – was founded in 2016. It was founded on the initiative of patients, especially parents of sick children. They faced enormous problems; for some, classic antiepileptic drugs did not work, for others they had severe side effects. Parents, with a sincere desire to help their children, searched for information, and some found on the Internet that epilepsy was successfully treated with cannabinoids abroad, and contacted me after one of the congresses. It turned out that there were more such cases and that patients in various fields were looking for information about the effects of cannabis.

We found that Slovenia is still far from what patients and their relatives would like in terms of legislation, and this is changing very slowly. If we put ourselves in the shoes of patients and parents, it is difficult to hold our breath and hope that things will get better, something needs to be done. We found that the first sensible step is to connect all experts, to talk about this issue and transfer information to decision-makers and doctors, and to advocate for research. The idea was supported by many current colleagues of the institute, who recognized the complexity of the field and advocated for a comprehensive definition of this issue. With this in mind, we founded the ICANNA institute. The idea was also supported by partners from abroad, and thus an international institute was created, which is not a commercial, but a research and educational organization.

What does your institute do?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tanja Bagar: We are engaged in raising public awareness, we lecture a lot to the lay public, doctors and other experts. The institute's employees have been involved in various training courses as lecturers in Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Austria, Germany, Moldova and Israel. I recently lectured to doctors in Austria, where they will also start systematically educating doctors in this field. Of course, we also meet patients as much as we can, considering that we are not a health center. We also refer them abroad when necessary, connect them with doctors, with laboratories if they buy something and don't know what it is. We are trying very hard to start implementing concrete research in this field in Slovenia. We are also committed to transferring knowledge into practice. There are numerous projects underway, but they take their time. Otherwise, we are committed to transparent operations, which is why we regularly publish our activities on the ICANNA website.

Can you describe to us how cannabinoids affect the body?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tanja Bagar: We need to know that these molecules – cannabinoids – are similar to those in cannabis, molecules that are native to humans, because we also produce cannabinoids, in fact not only humans, but also all other vertebrates. In other words, all vertebrates have an endocannabinoid system and these molecules in our body act as a kind of SOS system. This means that whenever anything is out of balance in our body, whether we are physically injured or have emotional stress or anything similar, we produce these molecules. Their main task is to protect us. We know exactly about the immune system that this system is activated when we encounter bacteria, viruses, parasites. The endocannabinoid system is essentially like an umbrella protection against everything that can happen to us. It is activated when, for example, we eat food that has too many pesticides, we breathe air with toxins, but otherwise, when our body is fine and not in some kind of emergency, we do not produce these molecules. However, if we look at a typical day in modern life, it quickly becomes clear that we often have more stress in a single day and produce more cannabinoids than we did in a week or month 100 years ago. As a result, this system can no longer cope with all the challenges and no longer perform its task. This balance is disrupted and it can happen that the organism starts producing these molecules even when we don't need them, or it doesn't produce them when we need them.

According to the biological hierarchical scale, the endocannabinoid system is the highest among signaling molecules, hormones, and neurotransmitters, as it regulates both hormones and neurotransmitters. And when this system collapses, it is similar to a domino effect – changes also begin in other biological systems. In the long run, this can lead to the development of chronic diseases, and how this manifests itself in an individual depends on several factors. For some, these are carcinomas, for others, chronic inflammatory diseases, burnout, etc. However, it is known that our endocannabinoid system plays a key role in this. Prescribed medications are often not beneficial for the endocannabinoid system, as they only address the symptoms, while the body remains out of balance. Sometimes they even further destroy the endocannabinoid system. For example, paracetamol, which can be given to infants and children, affects the secretion of anandamide – our own cannabinoid. Therefore, care must be taken when combining cannabinoids with other medications. The plant cannabinoids found in hemp are also found in other plants, such as American yam, but in lower concentrations. They act similarly to our own cannabinoids and can partially replace the role of our endocannabinoid molecules when our system is not working as we would like. The essential advantage of cannabinoids is that they act on this overarching signaling system. This is also one of the reasons why they have such a broad spectrum of action, because when they started studying this, they found that it affects almost all the body systems studied.

What exactly is all this?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tanja Bagar: It affects neurons, muscles, metabolism, heart, brain, blood pressure... The list of what it does not affect is shorter, and this is precisely because it regulates other signaling molecules and systems. It is known that when the endocannabinoid system is functioning well, it regulates neurotransmitters and affects hormones, sugar metabolism, stress response... It is ironic that there is a lot of resistance to the use of plant cannabinoids in healthcare, while the prescription of synthetic cannabinoids is undeniable.

Do natural cannabinoids have any side effects?

Doc. dr. Tanja Bagar: Cannabinoids are one of the safest molecules we know, although many patients, as well as doctors and experts, fear them due to prohibition and stigmatization. Nevertheless, special attention is required when taking them simultaneously with other medications and in the case of pre-existing cardiovascular diseases. The best way is definitely for patients to consult a doctor in case of serious illnesses and for cannabinoid therapy to be monitored. Effective doses are very individual and often need to be adjusted, so it is good for patients to be aware of this and for therapy to be monitored by a doctor. In Europe, we face many obstacles to the use of the non-psychotropic cannabinoid, cannabidiol or CBD, which increased even more when it was discovered in America that in those states where they have legal, regulated access to cannabis, much fewer antidepressants, sleeping pills and painkillers are prescribed. These groups of drugs are among the most profitable in the pharmaceutical industry, and competition in the form of a plant that can grow anywhere was not well received.

How can people use cannabis for preventive purposes?

Doc. dr. Tanja Bagar: If we are in a fairly good condition, in principle we do not need cannabinoids, but it is wise to stock up on omega 3 fatty acids, which are found in hemp, walnut, and flaxseed oil, because these fatty acids are the precursors of omega 3, so that we can produce endocannabinoids when we need them. And if we live a fairly calm life and can cope with everyday challenges, this is enough. However, if we are in a period of stressful stress, it is good to think about CBD. CBD has been proven that even if we are in a state of stress, which of course we cannot always avoid, it protects our body from cortisol, which we secrete in stressful situations, and protects cells from being damaged by cortisol. So if we experience stress, the body does not suffer any damage as a result. This is especially important if the stress lasts for a long time.

In what form are cannabinoids used in our country?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tanja Bagar: In our country, for example, in oncology, the use of cannabinoids is accepted as a way of addressing the side effects of chemotherapy. In oncology, it is not recognized as an active substance that has a successful anti-cancer effect, but is only used if you are sick and vomiting during chemotherapy. For example, in cancer, it is known that, on the one hand, they prevent the formation of cancerous changes through several mechanisms, and on the other hand, they also destroy cancerous cells through several mechanisms. According to the information I know, in Slovenia we only have guidelines in the field of oncology, while patients are eagerly awaiting guidelines in other areas as well.

How could this change in Slovenia?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tanja Bagar: Generally speaking, those responsible for implementing changes in Slovenia do not view the use of cannabinoids for medical purposes positively and changes are happening, but too slowly for patients. The entire implementation of research is being hindered. I think it is very important for the profession to unite and state scientifically confirmed facts and separate them from the myths that accompany this plant, and it is also important for patients to demand their right to choose their treatment method. The use for medical purposes was also supported by the parliamentary Committee on Health, but the bureaucracy is still more hindering than trying to make changes towards the implementation of the decisions of this committee. More than a year has passed since this politically expressed will, with which the Ministry of Health committed itself, and nothing has actually changed for patients. Despite optimistic forecasts, the education of doctors has also not continued.