Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug worldwide and the pattern of usage has been steadily increasing over the past 40 years. The long-term health effects of cannabis are poorly understood, but there is increasing concern about the suggested link between modern cannabis use and psychosis or the induction of anxiety symptoms. This is why the Beckley Foundation has initiated an extensive research program investigating the effects users find beneficial, the efficacy of cannabis in medical use, and the opposite effects of the most significant compounds found in cannabis, THC and cannabidiol (CBD)
Cannabis
The effects of cannabis on mental health have attracted much attention over the years. As far back as the 19th century it was recognised that cannabis could induce a transient psychosis which mimics the symptoms of schizophrenia. Despite this, until the last decade or so, most psychiatrists regarded cannabis as essentially benign. This, however, is [...]
Another recent collaboration between the Beckley Foundation and UCL is the On-line International Drug Survey which can be found at: www.internationaldrugsurvey.org. The aim of this survey is to find out what people think are the harms and benefits associated with recreational drugs, including alcohol and tobacco. We hope its findings will feed into the growing movement that is [...]
We have begun an exciting new study into the putative connection between cannabis and enhanced creativity. Collaborating with Professor Valerie Curran & Dr. Celia Morgan at University College London, we are now formally testing this association, and are currently analysing the data from the first 400 participants. The study involves several hundred participants, each smoking [...]
Cannabidiol (CBD), a constituent of herbal cannabis has attracted much interest recently as a promising medicine. After being discovered in the early 1970s it was quickly established that CBD has anti-convulsant and anxiolytic properties in animal models and in humans and was safe. Work in the 1980s and early 1990s suggested CBD had anti-psychotic properties [...]
Thursday 13 January 2011
Cannabis - http://www.beckleyfoundation.org/research/cannabis/
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