TENNESSEE: Scientists at Vanderbilt University have developed a drug that may relieve anxiety by triggering the same molecules in the brain that respond to marijuana highs.

The drug, chemically modified inhibitors of COX-2 enzyme, has been shown to to work with mice, according to a paper to be posted online Sunday in the journal Nature Neuroscience. It relieves anxiety behaviors by activating natural “endocannabinoids” without gastrointestinal side effects.

These receptors are also found in the gastrointestinal system and elsewhere in the body, the scientists said, and there is evidence that they play a role in wide range of physiological and pathological processes.