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20 Mar 2008
Scientists are to recruit 200 cannabis users for a study investigating whether the drug has any adverse effect on bone health.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh hope that the study will lead to developments in osteoporosis prevention and treatment.
Professor Stuart Ralston who is leading the research team, explained that the effects of cannabis on bone health are still unknown as previous studies have shown both positive and negative effects of cannabis on bones.
"What we have found before is some compounds which act like cannabis can stimulate cells which remove bone, causing thinning of the bone, but they can also stimulate cells that cause the build-up of new bone," he explained.
"The aim of our study is to determine if cannabis use negatively impacts on bone density, which is an important risk factor for osteoporosis in later life."
Current treatments for osteoporosis work by preventing bone loss or stimulating bone formation.
However scientists hope that research on cannabis users could offer up a new treatment that works in both ways.
The study is part of a £894,000 research programme funded by the UK's Arthritis Research Campaign.
Click here to find out more about osteoporosis
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