Diabetics: New Pot Therapy?

Medical College of Georgia researchers say a compound found in marijuana may help keep diabetics' eyes healthy.

Researchers found cannabidiol works as a consummate multitasker to protect the eye from growing a plethora of leaky blood vessels, the hallmark of diabetic retinopathy -- the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults, affecting nearly 16 million Americans.

High glucose levels resulting from unmanaged diabetes set in motion a cascade ultimately causing the oxygen-deprived retina to grow more blood vessels. Ironically, the leaky surplus of vessels can ultimately destroy vision.

The reserarchers received a $300,000 grant from the American Diabetes Association, and explain their work in the American Journal of Pathology.