Lumír Ondřej Hanuš
Lumír Ondřej Hanuš (Hebrew: לומיר הנוש) is a Czech analytic chemist and leading authority in the field of cannabis research. In 1992, he and William Anthony Devane isolated and first described the structure of anandamide, an endogenous cannabinoid neurotransmitter.
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Biography
Lumír Hanuš was born in 1947 in Olomouc, in what was then Czechoslovakia. He is a distant kindred of Czech chemist Josef Hanuš (1872–1955).
In 1966, Hanuš entered the Faculty of Science of Palacký University of Olomouc as a student. In 1970 professor Zdeněk Krejčí of the Faculty of Medicine's Department of hygiene and epidemiology (where the anti-bacterial effects of cannabis were described in 1955) needed an aid, and the undergraduate Hanuš started to work as Krejčí's assistant in the research of cannabis and hashish in December of that year. There, Hanuš also met professors Jan Kabelík and František Šantavý, who, together with Krejčí, laid down the foundations of the research of cannabis and its curative effects. Hanuš grew cannabis for research purposes on two fields in the Research Institute of Vegetable Growing and Breeding in Olomouc from 1971. The extracts were also used at the Faculty Hospital Olomouc as a cure for aphthous ulcer, herpes simplex, herpes zoster, and pressure ulcers.
Hanuš graduated as Master of Science in 1972 and continued academic career in Olomouc. In 1974 he obtained Doctorate in Science in Olomouc. He pursued his academic and research activities at Olomouc University until 1990. Hanuš also took part in research at the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences and continued post-graduate research study at the Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Brno (today Masaryk University). In years 1978–1979 he worked as research associate of University of Mississippi, focusing not only on cannabis, but also on coca leaves. He became associate professor in organic chemistry in Olomouc in 1994 and obtained Doctorate of Sciences in pharmaceutical chemistry at Charles University in 1995.
Hanuš was for many years in contact with Israeli cannabis researcher Raphael Mechoulam by letter. Following the Velvet Revolution, Hanuš was invited to continue his research at Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel. In Israel, Hanuš and American molecular pharmacologist William Anthony Devane in 1992 first described the structure of Anandamide, an endogenous cannabinoid neurotransmitter.
Hanuš continues his research in Jerusalem on cannabinoids, endocannabinoids and its derivatives.
Views on cannabis
Hanuš marks cannabis as "one of the safest known medications".
According to Hanuš, alcohol and tobacco should be "black listed" rather than cannabis, as there is a possibility of both physical and psychological addiction to the first two, while there is no possibility of physical and only limited possibility of psychological addiction to marijuana. Moreover, people under influence of marijuana are not dangerous to others. He does not support smoking of marijuana because of the dangers of smoke inhalation. Hanuš is against uncontrolled use of marijuana, but he fully supports its use for medical purposes.
In April 2010 and September 2011, Hanuš took part in a seminar of Czech Parliament aimed at introduction of cannabinoid treatment.
Awards
- September 14, 2005: Hanuš Medal (The Czech Chemical Society in Prague) for the furthering creditable work in the fields of chemistry
- November 6, 2006: Memorial Medal (Rector of the Palacký University of Olomouc) to 50th anniversary of revival and reopening of the University in Olomouc at the occasion of delivering 13th annual lecture to the honour of J. L. Fischer
- April 12, 2007: Doctor honoris causa (Masaryk University in Brno)
- 2009: nominated for the National Award of the Czech Government "Czech Mind" ("Česká hlava")
- 2010: nominated for the Patria Award of the Czech Government "Czech Mind" ("Česká hlava")
- 2010: nominated for The 2010 Jack Herer Award Outstanding Hemp Awareness in the field of Medicine
- April 26, 2010: Outstanding Immigrant Scientist (1990–2010) for his contribution to the State of Israel, Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, Israel
- May 4, 2011: Doctor honoris causa (Palacký University of Olomouc)
- 2011: Honorary Scientific Fellow of the Czech Neuropsychopharmacological Society
- 2011: nominated for the Addictology award to best achievement in the year 2011
- November 22, 2012: Addictology Award (Charles University, Prague) for significant contribution in the field of addictology in the last year
- June 13, 2013: Olomouc City Award for the year 2012
