(The Independent [UK]) Cannabis, the third most popular recreational drug after alcohol and tobacco, yesterday won an unlikely accolade from scientists who said that it could boost brain power.

Experiments on rats given a potent cannabinoid have shown the drug stimulates the growth of new brain cells. Canadian researchers found that the drug caused neurons to regenerate in the hippocampus, an area that controls mood and emotions, after one month of treatment.

For decades any serious medical and scientific research into cannabis has been mostly squelched by the federal government, both here and abroad. We’re only beginning to discover some of the properties of THC.

These findings don’t surprise me at all. The idea that pot makes you stupid or lazy has been debunked a long time ago. I work in IT and have known many a programmer and engineer who are certainly not lacking in brainpower, yet like to smoke a spliff from time to time. I’ve never thought that pot harms the brain, but the possibility that pot may help the brain isn’t surprising.

I look at it this way: hemp is one of the first plants mankind purposefully grew and harvested. There is a reason it is on this planet. If you believe in God, then you can say that God put marijuana on Earth for man for good reason (see Genesis 1:29). If you prefer scientific explanations, then there must be good reason that the plant evolved and survived. There must be a reason our brains have built-in receptors for THC molecules.

I believe that humans and cannabis have a symbiotic relationship throughout history. It provides us with food, fuel, fiber, and medicine, and we provide it with agricultural dissemination and genetic improvement.