The latest scientific research into cannabis will be presented at a major international conference taking place in Dublin this week.

The 6th European Workshop on Cannabinoid Research will be the largest scientific conference on cannabis and cannabinoids ever held in this country.

Cannabinoids are the biologically active parts of the cannabis plant. They bind to receptors in the body to exert their effects. The body is also known to make its own cannabinoids, known as endocannabinoids. These are now known to have an important role in human health.

The potential use of cannabis and cannabinoids in the treatment of a range of conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, chronic pain and some mental health disorders, is an ongoing issue of debate.

The conference has been organised by the British Pharmacological Society and Irish cannabinoid researchers based at NUI Galway, University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin and University College Cork.

According to Dr David Finn of NUI Galway, who is chairperson of the Irish organising committee, this ‘promises to be a very exciting and important conference, at a time when the potential benefits and harms of cannabis and cannabinoids continue to be hotly debated here in Ireland and overseas'.

"Our understanding of the body's own cannabinoid system has grown enormously - it is clear now that it plays a key role in health and wellbeing, and represents a promising therapeutic target for a range of diseases and disorders," he explained.

One of the keynote speakers at the conference will be Prof Raphael Mechoulam of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel. He is described by many as the founding father of modern scientific research into cannabinoids, having identified the main psychoactive part of the cannabis plant in the mid-20th century.

The event takes place in Trinity College Dublin from April 18-20.