Oxford University has launched a £10m research programme looking into medicinal marijuana.
It’s believed weed can have a positive effect on people suffering from conditions like Parkinson’s disease and chronic pain.
But it’s also been linked to mental health problems and, as a class B drug, being caught with it in the UK could land you with a five-year prison sentence.
The university will now look at whether it’s possible to create new treatments by isolating the positive effects.
Dr Zameel Cader is part of the team behind it and he’s explained no part of the research is geared towards giving people cannabis to stick in a joint and smoke.
Instead, it focusses on cannabinoids. These are compounds which are found naturally not only in the cannabis plant but also the human body.
And the research is looking at whether these compounds can help treat diseases.
“The problem with smoking cannabis is that it’s associated with unwanted effects,” Dr Cadeer explains. [Read more at BBC]