MARIJUANA CHEMICAL EASES ARTHRITIS IN MICE

Mice with arthritis may have made a case for medical marijuana. A chemical
in marijuana eases the pain and inflammation of one form of arthritis in
mice, a new study finds.

A team of seven scientists injected the chemical, cannibidiol, into the
joints of mice that were beginning to show symptoms similar to those of
humans who have rheumatoid arthritis. Swelling in the joints of the mice
decreased significantly, the scientists wrote in Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences. The treatment also helped protect the mouse
joints from damage usually caused by arthritis.

The scientists found similar success in mice that drank a concoction of
cannabidiol.

Unlike other marijuana ingredients, cannibidiol does not have a
mind-altering effect. But in a commentary accompanying the study, Stephen
Straus of the National Institutes of Health warns the chemical has been
associated with several adverse effects, such as tremors, convulsions and a
possible increased cancer risk.