SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Medical marijuana and its psychoactive ingredient THC already provide relief, and often an accompanying buzz, for thousands of patients fighting cancer.

But more than five years ago, researchers at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco began focusing their attention on a far tamer compound in the marijuana plant, an ingredient called cannabidiol.

"Cannabidiol is a non-toxic agent from cannabis that is not psychoactive," says Sean McAllister, Ph.D., a lead researcher in the group's recent study.

The General Assembly has passed a law that allows caregivers of patients who use medical marijuana to possess up to an ounce of pot without being convicted of a crime.

"We are expressing our belief that people who are sick should be able to access the drug without civil or criminal penalties," said Sen. Jamie Raskin, a Montgomery County Democrat who introduced the bill.

As reported earlier this year, the Czech government legalized medicinal cannabis on February 15th 2013 for patients with cancer, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and other serious conditions. The bill came into action yesterday and patients are now able to buy medicinal cannabis directly  from pharmacies.

Evidence mounts as a growing number of papers published in scientific journals are establishing that cannabinoids have anti-tumor effects on the cellular level and in animals.

Increasing numbers of people have been using Cannabis “oil” —plant extracts consisting of 50% or more THC and/or CBD— to treat conditions ranging from mild rashes to potentially fatal cancers.  

Reports of success are circulating among medical Cannabis users and on the internet. They gain plausibility from a parallel stream of papers published in scientific journals establishing that cannabinoids have anti-tumor effects on the cellular level and in animals.

GW Pharmaceuticals plc (AIM: GWP), a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing novel therapeutics from its proprietary cannabinoid product platform, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a Notice of Allowance for U.S. Application Serial Number 13/607,897, a patent which protects delivery of its Sativex® product formulation.