Journal profile · Medicine-Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids
ISSN 2504-3889 · Karger Publishers · Switzerland
Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids: fully open access; APC about USD 1,080; median 123 days to acceptance (30 articles, last 24 months); 17 articles in 2025; indexed in Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids is published by Karger Publishers. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, Complementary and Alternative Medicine Studies and Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis, together about 60.7% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids is an international, open-access, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to exploring all aspects of the medical uses of cannabis and cannabinoids, and all secondary metabolites from Cannabis sativa L. This includes: Basic science concerning the underlying pharmacological aspects of the cannabis plant and its compounds, mechanisms of action, the endocannabinoid system, phytocannabinoids, synthetic cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids Pre-clinical and clinical studies on indications and use of cannabis and cannabinoids in the treatment of disease and medical conditions Potential hazards, harms, and concerns around the use of medicinal cannabis Public policy forum, including legal and regulatory considerations Well-controlled prospective and retrospective studies of cannabis efficacy used in medical and treatment settings The journal accepts original research, reviews, systematic reviews, case reports, brief reports, study protocols, methods papers, and letters. Karger Publishers is interested in both data showing potential efficacy as well as negative results. The journal covers a wide range of topics, including: Indications (and contraindications) for the use of cannabis and cannabis-derived compounds to treat diseases and medical conditions Pharmacological aspects, including: drug development, drug safety, dosage, and toxicology Psychological and psychiatric indications and concerns Public health, epidemiology, and socioeconomic aspects of cannabis and cannabis products Ethnobotany
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Medicine-Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Editor-in-chief Kent E. VranaPublisher website
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Cannabis and Cannabinoid ResearchMedicine45.6%
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine StudiesMedicine10.1%
- Forensic Toxicology and Drug AnalysisPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics5%
- Opioid Use Disorder TreatmentMedicine4.1%
- Medical research and treatmentsMedicine3.6%
- Pain Mechanisms and TreatmentsMedicine2.7%
- Psychedelics and Drug StudiesPsychology2.7%
- Medicinal Plant Extracts EffectsMedicine2.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CiteScore quartiles (Scopus, June 2026 release)
| Subject | Quartile | Rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complementary and Alternative Medicine | Q1 | 28/115 | 76th |
| Pharmacology (medical) | Q2 | 100/278 | 64th |
| Pharmacology | Q2 | 141/328 | 57th |
Scopus ranks journals by CiteScore within each subject: the 75th percentile and above is Q1, then a quartile every 25 points. A different system from the CAS zones.LetPub
Database indexing
ScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
PMCEmbasePublisher website
Other: Google Scholar
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.71LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.87LetPub ·
- h-index
- 23OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 53OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.23OpenAlex ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 164 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 17 | 17 | 349 |
| 2025 | 17 | 17 | 409 |
| 2024 | 28 | 28 | 439 |
| 2023 | 19 | 19 | 357 |
| 2022 | 20 | 20 | 309 |
| 2021 | 13 | 13 | 214 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with PubMed · to
123 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 97 days – 157 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 17 days (30 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 139 days
- Sample
- 30 articles with submission and acceptance dates (33 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 18 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to final decision
- 90 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 16 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | CHF 980 / USD 1,080 / EUR 930 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC | |
| OpenAlex | USD 990 / EUR 850 / CHF 920 | — | — | |
| LetPub | EUR 930 / USD 1,080 / CHF 980 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 1,230 / USD 980 | — | — |
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Keywords
- ≥ 3
- Reference style
- Vancouver
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Graphical abstract
- Required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted16, with length limits
- brief reportailable below. For guidance purposes, a Brief Report is typically 3000 words in length and up to 3 Tables and Figures. Document Brief Remain text ≤ 3,000 words
- case reportailable below. For guidance purposes, a Case Report is typically 2500 words in length and up to 3 Tables and Figures. Document Case Repmain text ≤ 2,500 words
- commentaryailable below. For guidance purposes, a Commentary is typically 1000 words in length and up to 3 Tables and Figures. Document Commentamain text ≤ 1,000 words
- data paperailable below. For guidance purposes, a Data Paper is typically 2500 words in length and up to 3 Tables and Figures. Document Data Papmain text ≤ 2,500 words
- editorialilable below. For guidance purposes, an Editorial is typically 1000 words in length and up to 3 Tables and Figures. Document Editoriamain text ≤ 1,000 words
- letterailable below. For guidance purposes, a Letter is typically 1000 words in length and up to 3 Tables and Figures. In addition, authmain text ≤ 1,000 words
- methods articleailable below. For guidance purposes, a Methods Article is typically 3000 words in length and up to 3 Tables and Figures. Registered Reportmain text ≤ 3,000 words
- methods paperThe journal accepts original research, reviews, systematic reviews, case reports, brief reports, study protocols, methods papers, and letters.Length not stated
- original paperThe journal accepts original research, reviews, systematic reviews, case reports, brief reports, study protocols, methods papers, and letters.Length not stated
- perspectivecurrent advances and future directions. Perspectives should have a maximum length of 3,000 words, excluding references (25 references maximum). A maximum ofmain text ≤ 3,000 words
- product reviewProduct Reviews are review articles specifically focused on hardware, software packages, or other media.Length not stated
- research articleailable below. For guidance purposes, a Research Article is typically 5000 words in length with 4 to 8 Tables and Figures. Authors may choosmain text ≤ 5,000 words
- reviewbelow. For guidance purposes, a Product Review is typically 2500 words in length and up to 3 Tables and Figures. Document Productmain text ≤ 2,500 words
- review articleailable below. For guidance purposes, a Review Article is typically 5000 words in length with 4 to 8 Tables and Figures. Document Review Amain text ≤ 5,000 words
- study protocolThe journal accepts original research, reviews, systematic reviews, case reports, brief reports, study protocols, methods papers, and letters.Length not stated
- systematic reviewailable below. For guidance purposes, a Systematic Review is typically 5000 words in length with 4 to 8 Tables and Figures. Document Systematmain text ≤ 5,000 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Self-archiving
- Authorship Author Contributions
In the Author Contribution statement, a short statement detailing the contributions of each person named as an author should be included. The CRediT taxonomy is a useful framework for preparing this section. Contributors to the submission who do not fulfil the ICMJE Criteria for Authorship should be credited, with their consent, in the Acknowledgement section.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Conflict of Interest Statement
Authors are required to disclose any relationship that could be perceived as a conflict of interest in the Conflict of Interest Statement. All forms of support and financial involvement which took place in the previous three years should be listed, regardless of their potential relevance to the paper. Nonfinancial relationships that may potentially influence the writing of the manuscript should al…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Availability Statement
Authors are required to provide a Data Availability Statement that details whether data are publicly available and where the data supporting their study can be accessed. The journal’s data sharing policy strongly encourages authors to make all datasets on which the conclusions of the paper rely available to editors, reviewers and readers without unnecessary restriction wherever possible. In cases …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Licenses and Copyright
Articles published in Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, unless otherwise agreed with Karger Publishers. When sharing or reusing any article, attribution must be given to the original source, using the statement "The final, published version of this article is available at http://karger.com/?…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access
Open access, peer-reviewed journal Model summary
Open Access (All articles are published under Creative Commons licenses)
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review
Peer review type: single-anonymous peer review. Model summary
Peer Review Policy All Karger journals employ a rigorous peer-review process to confirm the validity and ensure scientific accuracy of published articles. Independent researchers with relevant expertise assess submitted manuscripts to help journal editors determine whether a manuscript should be published in their journal. All articles, except for Editorials and some Correspondence articles, are e…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Self-archiving Archiving and Self-Archiving
All articles are archived in Portico. Articles may also be archived in PubMed Central if the journal is indexed there. Karger permits authors of Open Access articles to post the Version of Record (VOR) of their articles in Open Access repositories or on other websites. Preprints may be shared without restriction. Re-posted Open Access articles must follow the terms of the relevant Creative Commons…
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Karger Publishers
- Country or region
- Switzerland
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2504-3889
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 9, Issue 1 (December 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids
How long does peer review take at Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids?
Based on the dates recorded on 30 articles published between November 2024 and November 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 123 days (interquartile range 97–157 days); authors report an average review time of about 18 weeks. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Keywords: ≥ 3; Reference style: Vancouver; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Graphical abstract: Required; Cover letter: Required. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Which databases index Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids is indexed in Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists PMC and Embase; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids open access, and what is the APC?
Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 1,080.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, DOAJ, Publisher website; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .