Cannabis chemical to be tested in epilepsy

A British drug company has unveiled plans to test a compound found in cannabis as a treatment for epilepsy.

The decision by GW Pharmaceuticals follows a promising study by scientists at Reading University using the chemical in rats and mice and could see human clinical trials using cannabidivarin (CBDV) start as early as 2013 after researchers reported the previously little-studied chemical had potential as an anticonvulsant. CBDV is one of many non-psychoactive cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant and does not cause users to feel 'high'.

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