Cannabis: Medicine or Malady?

But it's not all bad. Cannabis, to the scientific community, is an amazing compound. The drug, otherwise known as marijuana, is made up of over 400 different chemicals. Its most active ingredient affecting the brain is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) is the drug's only non-psychoactive component

Hemp, the type of plant from which cannabis is derived, historically had many functions. The seeds of the plant can be used in baking and the plant stalk can be used to manufacture fabric for clothes. Hemp is also found in plastics, oil-based paints, skin moisturisers and bird food. When it is dried and broken down, the pulp can be used to make paper and even work as fuel, albeit an inefficient one!

The body produces its own cannabis-like molecules - endocannabinoids. These molecules bind to specific sites on our cells called receptors, causing a series of chemical reactions. When cannabis binds to these receptors in the body, chemical reactions cause the mental and physical side-effects we can see.

Cannabis has many beneficial medicinal effects, the most widely recognised being pain relief.

Large-scale clinical trials with those suffering from multiple sclerosis have revealed that the pain relieving properties of cannabis are particularly effective for this group. A University of Plymouth study led by John Zajicek in 2003 involving 630 participants showed that 60% of patients reported the cannabis-based treatment helped their pain and muscle stiffness after 15 weeks, compared to 48% of placebo patients.

Cannabis components have also shown some surprising, lesser-known medicinal effects. They have been hailed as everything from the potential cure for cancer to an allergy-buster.