POT-LIKE BRAIN CHEMICALS BLOCK PAIN

Researchers have found that marijuana-like chemicals in the brain help
animals and people under extreme stress suppress pain and keep going
despite a severe injury.

"This shows for the first time that natural marijuana-like chemicals
in the brain have a link to pain suppression," said Daniele Piomelli,
a professor of pharmacology at the University of California, Irvine ,
and senior author of a study published yesterday in the journal Nature.

"Aside from identifying an important function of these compounds, it
[the study] provides a template for a new class of pain medications
that can possibly replace others shown to have acute side effects,"
said Piomelli, who directs the Center for Drug Discovery at the school