Benefits of Marijuana Mimicked

A way has been found to mimic marijuana's relief of pain and anxiety, which could lead to drugs giving the same medical effect without disorienting side effects or raising questions of legality.

Marijuana's active ingredient, THC, stimulates a receptor in brain cells called CB1 which is also activated, to a much lesser degree, by chemicals, anandamide and 2-AG, our bodies produce naturally.

Researchers at the University of California found that by blocking breakdown of these two, they could mimic marijuana's soothing effects without its side effect of impairing thinking. In the journal Nature Chemical Biology, they showed that judicious doses of organophosphorus nerve agents caused levels of anandamide and 2-AG to rise 10-fold, and suggest this could lead to drugs which work by boosting the body's natural painkillers.

This month, the government said it would make penalties for marijuana possession more severe; today its drugs advisory council is expected to recommend it remain a class C substance.