CANNABIS 'COULD REVERSE PSYCHOSIS'

AUSTRALIAN researchers believe cannabis, a drug believed to increase
the risk of psychosis, may also be able to reverse psychotic behaviour.

Scientists at Melbourne's Monash University say they have found a
chemical compound in cannabis, cannabidiol, that reverses drug-induced
behavioural disturbances in mice.

Use of cannabis had been linked with an increased risk of developing
psychosis because of the effects of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which
also gives users a high, researcher Leonora Long said.

"The interesting thing is that you have these two compounds in the
cannabis plant that produce opposing effects," Ms Long said.

"One is liable to produce psychotic symptoms, while the other may be
protective against psychosis.

"Cannabidiol may also help alleviate the symptoms of epilepsy and also
pain associated with inflammatory disorders such as multiple
sclerosis," she said.

Ms Long said previous research had shown that THC produced behavioural
deficiencies in rodents that mimicked symptoms of human psychosis.

The researchers now plan to investigate the effects of cannabidiol and
THC together in rats and mice to see how the two compounds interact
and to mimic human consumption of cannabis.