A less studied ingredient in cannabis-related products might not be quite as harmless as advertised, recent research suggests.

Scientists at the University of Connecticut studied the effects of cannabinol, also known as CBN, on mice in the lab. They found evidence that mice could develop a physical dependence on CBN and that CBN can mimic some of the same psychoactive effects as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Though more study will be needed, the findings indicate that products high in CBN aren’t inherently risk-free, the researchers say.

“The steep rise in demand for minor cannabinoid products in recent years has considerably outpaced empirical research on their purported health effects,” the authors wrote in their paper, published in the November edition of the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

The unknowns of CBN

The main active ingredients in cannabis are THC and cannabidiol (CBD), while THC is primarily responsible for the psychoactive “high” of cannabis.

Weed has many other cannabinoids in smaller…