A new study published by the National Institute of Health has found that cannabinoid receptor activation – something done naturally by cannabis – may provide a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is a long-term disease that causes inflammation of the joints and tissues.

“Recent studies have suggested immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects of cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2R) activation”, states the study’s abstract.  Despite these recent studies, researchers say that the connection between these cannabinoid receptors and rheumatoid arthritis has been much less observed, leading them to conduct this study.  According to their researchers, data suggests that “CB2R may be a potential therapeutic target of RA [rheumatoid arthritis].”

The study will appear in the Oxford journal Rheumatology. and was conducted by researchers at Changhai Hospital, the Second Military Medical University and Shanghai Guanghua Hospital, all in China.

Marijuana supporters have long argued that the plant’s active ingredients, known as cannabinoids, are safe and effective treatments for pain, nausea, and other ailments.  The most active cannabinoid—delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or...