New dope plant 'leaves users sober not stoned'

Scientists claim to have cultivated a cannabis plant that doesn't get people stoned, in a development that may help those smoking marijuana for medical purposes, it has been revealed. According to the Maariv daily, the new cannabis cultivated by Israeli scientists looks, smells and even tastes the same, but does not induce any of the feelings normally associated with smoking marijuana that are brought on by the substance THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol. "It has the same scent, shape and taste as the original plant - it's all the same - but the numbing sensation that users are accustomed to has disappeared," News.com.au quoted Tzahi Klein, head of development at Tikkun Olam, the firm that developed the species, as saying. "Many of our patients who tried the new plant come back to us and say: 'You tricked me'," he said. According to Maariv, Tikkun Olam sought to neutralise the effect of the THC and to increase the effect of another substance called CBD, or cannabidiol, which has been shown to help diabetics and to ease various psychiatric disorders. Not only does it leave users stone-cold sober, it also doesn't induce the munchies, the hunger pangs that the drug's smokers generally suffer. Despite the innovation, it is unlikely to have any impact on Israeli law, which outlaws the use of marijuana as illegal except for medical purposes.