This summer, the Uk’s first medical cannabis research facility is going to open – studying the medical uses of weed for the first time in this country.

Do they need any volunteers, we wonder?

The facility will be opened by Medipen – who tested a cannabis vaporiser with the NHS last year.

The Medipen contains ‘cannabidiol’ (CBD), a chemical from cannabis which campaigners claim helps with diseases including cancer and Crohn’s disease.

Crucially, the oil doesn’t contain any THC, the chemical in cannabis which causes the high – and it is legal in the UK.

But in the new facility – at an as-yet-undisclosed location – will explore the use of THC (the chemical in cannabis which gets you stoned) as a treatment for cancer patients.

Medipen says, ‘The brand new 1,800ft2 facility will be presented to the public within the next few weeks. This marks the beginning of a strenuous course of clinical trials and research into the medicinal applications of several cannabis constituents, with the goal of developing a portfolio of licensed cannabinoid based medicines in the coming years.

‘In particular, the biotech startup is keen to explore the applications of key phytocannabinoids such as Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) for use in cancer patients, with the aim of not only minimising the negative impact of existing chemotherapy based treatments such as nausea and vomiting through its antiemetic properties, but also attempting to suppress metastasis through inhibiting the proliferation of cancer cells.’