Cannabis Catch-All?

Researchers in the U.K. are looking to breed marijuana to make medicines for metabolic disorders, epilepsy, and other diseases.

Written byJef Akst

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GW Pharmaceuticals—the United Kingdom’s only legal cannabis production facility—is already developing Sativex, a drug consisting of two principal cannabinoids (THC and CBD). Sativex is currently in Phase III trials for treating muscle spasticity in multiple sclerosis patients. But GW’s researchers are also studying how marijuana derivatives could be used to treat a much wider range of diseases, including metabolic disorders, epilepsy, ulcerative colitis, psychosis, brain injury, and cancer pain.

“As rigorous modern research with cannabinoids comes to fruition, a new era of treatment options may have arrived,” David Potter, director of Botanical Research and Cultivation at GW Pharmaceuticals who wrote about the company’s efforts this week (June 11) in The Biologist, said in a press release.

GW’s strategy is to breed cannabis plants that produce ...

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Meet the Author

Jef Akst
Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) got her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses. After four years of diving off the Gulf Coast of Tampa and performing behavioral experiments at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, she left research to pursue a career in science writing. As The Scientist's managing editor, Jef edited features and oversaw the production of the TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.
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