YOU MAY have seen the number 6630507 online—maybe posted in selfies, written on someone’s hand or arm. It’s a US patent number, issued in October 2003 to the Department of Health and Human Services.
The patent is titled “Cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants,” and it was filed in 1999 by researchers with the National Institute of Mental Health, a division of the National Institutes of Health.
Was the patent granted to address the health issue of dry mouth after smoking? No—rather, the patent claims exclusive rights on using cannabinoids to treat both neurological diseases (i.e., Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and stroke) and those caused by oxidative stress (i.e., arthritis, Crohn’s disease, diabetes, and heart attacks).
Before you start freaking out that the gubbermint is now coming for both your guns and your ganja, chill out—but not too much. The patent is not for any kind of strain or growing method, it’s for both “natural and synthetic nonpsychoactive cannabinoids,” so THC is not covered. However, cannabidiol (CBD) is, and that’s where this gets interesting.