A named university programme in Madrid
The Universidad Complutense de Madrid lists a university master’s in Investigación sobre Cannabis Medicinal for 2026–27. Its responsible centre is the Faculty of Medicine, with participation from Law, Pharmacy, Biological Sciences and Chemical Sciences. This is a concrete academic route into medicinal-cannabis research, bringing several disciplines together around the same subject. José Javier Fernández Ruiz coordinates the programme.
What the curriculum actually contains
The 60-credit curriculum includes cannabinoid chemistry, endocannabinoid-system biology, cannabinoid signalling and pharmacology. Therapeutic applications are divided between the central nervous system and peripheral applications. A separate subject addresses social-health and legal aspects. These distinctions matter because studying cannabis can mean molecular mechanisms, clinical questions or regulation; the programme explicitly includes all three rather than treating the plant as a single undifferentiated topic.
Research occupies half the degree
The final master’s project carries 30 credits, half of the programme. Taught subjects also include introduction to research and current cannabinoid-research topics and methodologies. The balance makes the research component central rather than a small concluding assignment. Students encounter both the underlying biological concepts and the work of formulating and investigating a scientific question.
The academic background it targets
UCM describes the programme as particularly directed at graduates in medicine, pharmacy, biology, nursing, physiotherapy, biochemistry, biotechnology, biomedical sciences and related fields. It is therefore postgraduate training built on prior university study. A research qualification and a professional authorisation to prescribe or practise medicine remain different things; the master’s subject does not replace the professional requirements governing clinical work.
A research environment beyond the classroom
UCM’s Cannabinoid Signalling group studies how plant cannabinoids and endogenous counterparts influence cell proliferation, differentiation and survival. Its wider cannabinoid research includes nervous-system signalling, neurodevelopment and potential therapeutic mechanisms. These are scientific questions with identifiable laboratories and investigators, not merely a wellness curriculum. For Spain’s educational landscape, the example shows a route from foundational biomedical training to specialised research on mechanisms, treatment applications and the surrounding legal system.
[3] UCM ·Cannabinoid Signalling[4] UCM ·Cannabinoids research group
Sources & further reading
General information, not individual legal or medical advice.