CANNABIS has often caused rambling arguments, but new research appears to settle the controversial long-running debate over whether strong new strains of dope really do mess you up.

A Columbia University study of casualty department admissions has found a 50 per cent rise in teenagers being taken in because of cannabis-related problems in the past five years.

The research, by the National Centre on Addiction and Substance Abuse, also found that the number of children and teenagers in treatment for marijuana dependence has jumped by 142 per cent since 1999. They are also three times more likely to be receiving dependency treatment for cannabis than for alcohol.

The researchers say skunk and other much-modified strains of cannabis are far more potent and addictive than the dusty lumps of Red Lebanese toked in the Sixties and Seventies, where the worst side-effects involved an embarrasing dependence on concept albums by Yes.

MENTHOL HEALTH

MEANWHILE, another well- known aromatic remedy has just received a research boost. Menthol has been found to have pain-relieving benefits that go much further than the placebo effect achieved by making yourself smell like a school nurse’s medicine cabinet.

Research results unveiled this week at the American Physiology Society conference show that adding menthol to creams used for arthritic joints does actually improve their anti-inflammatory effects.

The researchers used a new form of cream containing cetylated fatty acid, which has been found to work as a safer long-term alternative to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. But when they then added menthol to the mix, they found that its painkilling effects were significantly increased and mobility improved.

HEAT BLINDNESS

IF YOU are considering laser surgery to correct your short-sightedness, a new study advises that you should do it soon before the hot, humid summer weather kicks in.

LASIK surgery, which uses an ultraviolet laser to change the shape of the cornea, appears to be affected by weather, according to a study in the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

The study of 191 patients found that for every 10 per cent increase in humidity in the treatment room, there is a 9 per cent increase in the number of patients whose LASIK treatment won’t be successful and will require a follow-up. The researchers suggest that raised humidity changes the way the cornea absorbs the laser, affecting its cutting ability. On balance, you may decide it’s preferable to go through life with your spectacles steaming up.

NUKING CANCER

ANOTHER high-tech therapy is showing strong promise: radar research originally developed to detect Soviet nukes in space is in its final phase of testing as a breast cancer treatment. The radar’s powerful microwaves kill breast-tissue tumour cells before the lump is removed.

Results released this week at the International Congress on Hyperthermic Oncology show the radar system, developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, can cut cancer cells by 43 per cent.

FAT MR FLOPPY

NOW what could finally persuade men in early middle age to cut out fatty food?

Maybe a warning from the Journal of the American College of Cardiology will help. It says men with high levels of sticky blood lipids are much more likely to suffer erectile dysfunction in later life. Suddenly muesli and skimmed milk look rather tasty.

Times Recommends

• An officer and a gentle woman
• Dame Helen Mirren is worthy of the Epidaurus
• Foods that can help to prevent swine flu