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UK: Oxford University launches 10m UKP marijuana research programme
BBC Friday 17 Mar 2017 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. "So if you take cannabis when you're young there seems to be an increased risk of developing problems like schizophrenia. "What we know though is that there are cannabinoids both from the plant and the body that have beneficial effects. "So the aim of the research programme is to try and isolate those cannabinoids that are beneficial but don't have the risk of psychiatric problems." If they do manage to find them, Dr Cader says, these compounds would be turned into medicines. In the past year marijuana has been legalised for medicinal use in several states in the US. Actor Sir Patrick Stewart has also confessed that he uses it to treat arthritis. "Two years ago, in Los Angeles I was examined by a doctor and given a note which gave me legal permission to purchase, from a registered outlet, cannabis-based products, which I was advised might help the ortho-arthritis in both my hands," he told the Telegraph. Products like these are usually illegal in the UK, but Dr Cader says Sir Patrick's story shows more research is needed into how to turn them into legal, regulated, treatments. "The fact that there are so many people who describe benefits with pain and with anxiety really shows the potential therapeutic value. "What we really need to do is work out how we can harness that benefit without getting the unwanted side-effects." But for people who do smoke weed illegally for fun, one question remains. Could this research be used to reduce the risks of recreational marijuana use and, therefore, pave the way for its legalisation? "It's an interesting question," says Dr Cader. "The kind of research that we're aiming to do is to develop a medicine rather than try and increase the hedonistic effects of cannabinoid compounds. "So I'm not sure the kind of medicines we'd be developing would substitute for recreational cannabinoids. "But whether other groups would be interested in doing that, I don't know." http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/item/bb859d7e-2e24-4fe5-85eb-59e9c872e644?ns_campaign=bbc-three&ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=facebook&ns_linkname=bb859d7e-2e24-4fe5-85eb-59e9c872e644
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