Artificial cannabis created to combat osteoarthritis pain

An artificial cannabis compound has been created to combat the pain of osteoarthritis.

The drug acts on a pain-sensing pathway in the spinal cord called the cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2). Previous research has shown that cannabis chemicals can act as pain relievers, but their use is limited because of psychological side effects.

The new compound, called JWH133, is a wholly synthetic cannabinoid molecule manufactured in a laboratory that selectively targets CB2. Research has shown that the CB2 receptor is present in human spinal cord tissue, at levels related to the severity of oesteoarthritis pain.