CBS NEWS.com Screenshot: Chris Matyszczyk/CNET

Science is a force for good. Mostly.

However, some might be wondering just how much good can come out of a cannabis plant that has lost its magical power: the ability to get you high.

A group of Israeli scientists decided that they should pursue this joy-dampening experiment, one that will surely depress many.

According to Agence France-Presse -- which relied on reporting by the Maariv Daily -- the scientists' hearts were partly in the right place.

Yes, they wanted to dampen the effect of tetrahydrocannabinol, the pot element that makes you feel so very good. But their aim was to increase the effect of cannabidiol, a substance that has been shown in some studies to help not only diabetics, but also those with some psychiatric disorders.

The AFP quoted Tzahi Klein, head of development at Tikkun Olam -- the very serious company that grew the new type of cannabis plant -- as saying: "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."

Oh, some call it numbing. Others call it relaxing, life-affirming, or merely essential.

Another perhaps positive aspect of the new plant is that you won't want to eat two large Domino's with everything on them immediately after inhaling. For it doesn't cause the munchies.

One can only hope that unscrupulous dealers don't mix the two substances up when they offer them for sale. You can just imagine the outcryshould the streets of the world suddenly fill with marijuana that really, truly was merely medicinal.