11-17-2014, 09:17 AM
The new strain of cannabis that could help treat psychosisTom Ireland
11/15/2014
Although widely seen as a potential trigger for schizophrenia, marijuana also contains an ingredient that appears to have antipsychotic effects. Tom Ireland visits the UKs only licensed cannabis farm and meets the man responsible for breeding a plant that might be of benefit to millions
In an enormous glasshouse a few hours from London, theres a powerful, unmistakable smell in the air: its the one that seems to cling to some surly teenagers and drifts around on the breeze at pop festivals. Here, 30,000 cannabis plants sway gently beneath giant fans and immensely bright lights. Only the remarkable uniformity of the plants and the people walking round in lab coats tells you the place isnt some drug lords illicit cannabis factory.
This is the only research facility in the UK licensed to grow cannabis on a vast commercial scale. Here, Dr David Potter has overseen the production of nearly 2m cannabis plants, mostly for medical research or the production of the cannabis-based multiple sclerosis drug Sativex. He is director of botany and cultivation for GW Pharmaceuticals, a company that is exploring how cannabis could help treat a range of illnesses ranging from epilepsy to cancer.
Recently Potter and GWs team have turned their attention to developing a cannabis-based treatment for psychosis and related illnesses such as schizophrenia. For a drug that is widely seen as a trigger for acute psychotic illness in young users, this at first sounds preposterous. But, as Potter explains, the cannabis plant is much more than just a psychedelic weed.
The most well-known ingredient in cannabis that gets people high is THC [or tetrahydrocannabinol], says Potter, who often travels to give talks in London carrying a suspicious-smelling suitcase of the plants. But THC is just one of dozens of potentially useful cannabinoids in the plant.
Cannabinoids are chemicals that act on the brains cannabinoid receptors, part of a system that regulates a variety of,.....
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/...vid-potter
11/15/2014
Although widely seen as a potential trigger for schizophrenia, marijuana also contains an ingredient that appears to have antipsychotic effects. Tom Ireland visits the UKs only licensed cannabis farm and meets the man responsible for breeding a plant that might be of benefit to millions
In an enormous glasshouse a few hours from London, theres a powerful, unmistakable smell in the air: its the one that seems to cling to some surly teenagers and drifts around on the breeze at pop festivals. Here, 30,000 cannabis plants sway gently beneath giant fans and immensely bright lights. Only the remarkable uniformity of the plants and the people walking round in lab coats tells you the place isnt some drug lords illicit cannabis factory.
This is the only research facility in the UK licensed to grow cannabis on a vast commercial scale. Here, Dr David Potter has overseen the production of nearly 2m cannabis plants, mostly for medical research or the production of the cannabis-based multiple sclerosis drug Sativex. He is director of botany and cultivation for GW Pharmaceuticals, a company that is exploring how cannabis could help treat a range of illnesses ranging from epilepsy to cancer.
Recently Potter and GWs team have turned their attention to developing a cannabis-based treatment for psychosis and related illnesses such as schizophrenia. For a drug that is widely seen as a trigger for acute psychotic illness in young users, this at first sounds preposterous. But, as Potter explains, the cannabis plant is much more than just a psychedelic weed.
The most well-known ingredient in cannabis that gets people high is THC [or tetrahydrocannabinol], says Potter, who often travels to give talks in London carrying a suspicious-smelling suitcase of the plants. But THC is just one of dozens of potentially useful cannabinoids in the plant.
Cannabinoids are chemicals that act on the brains cannabinoid receptors, part of a system that regulates a variety of,.....
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/...vid-potter