While it’s apparently taken centuries for scientists to take serious notice of the medical effects of the cannabis plant, virtually all the attention has been on THC, the compound that gets you high. Cannabidiol (CBD), a wonder drug in its own right, has finally started gathering a following. But tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) has been all but unknown.

That will be changing rapidly, with the recent discovery that THCV, which is structurally similar to THC, holds great promise in treating metabolic syndrome in mice. But as there’s little market for mouse medicine, even more excitement was generated by a similar study on humans involving their pancreas’ ability to create insulin. As products go, a THCV-based medicine for diabetes would be tapping into what will be a $50 billion market in just a few years.

GW Pharmaceuticals, the only public company marketing medicines developed from cannabis plants, is already a $50 million business, and its efforts are being noticed in mainstream medical and diabetes publications. We can only hope that the Federal government doesn’t wait until every other country in the world has recognized cannabis as a legitimate medicine, because there are millions of people in the U.S. who could benefit from it, and we’re getting tired of the Feds raiding our pharmacies!