Components of cannabis include tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is responsible for the high, and cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive ingredient that’s available as an oil in most pharmacies and health food shops. But what does scientific research say about the effects of cannabis on our brains and our bodies?

In this Horizon programme, A&E doctor Javid Abdelmoneim joins a research group hoping to find an answer. Over a number of weeks, Javid inhales – supervised, of course – different quantities of THC and CBD. Sometimes, he is relaxed and good-humoured; other times, he becomes anxious, paranoid and distrusting.

Travelling across the globe, to countries where medicinal cannabis has been used for decades, Javid meets patients whose lives have been turned around by the drug. And back in the UK, he is introduced to Alfie Dingley. Last year, seven-year-old Alfie received the first prescription of cannabis oil in the country to treat his rare form of epilepsy.

For Alfie and other patients, medicinal cannabis has clearly had a positive effect on their lives. But, Javid concludes, more research is needed before it can be deemed safe and prescribed routinely to people.

WHAT I’M READING Alexander McNamara ONLINE EDITOR

THE FUTURE STARTS HERE BY JOHN HIGGS (£20, WEIDENFELD & NICOLSON) Hey kids, I just want to say on behalf of my generation, I’m sorry. We Millennials, we tried, but it’s time to pass the baton over to you if we’re going to survive into the next century. That’s the message I get reading The Future Starts Here,

anyway. Through conversations with some colourful characters, the history of Star Trek, and the absolute destruction of popular Generation X movie The Breakfast Club,

the book explains why those of us who grew up in the 20th Century (myself included) have a gloomy view of whatever will be.

Fortunately, all is not lost. As Higgs explains, Generation Z – people like climate activist Greta Thunberg (pictured below) or the survivors of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting – have just the right stuff to actually make the sort of impact that could end climate change, unemployment and gun violence.

It’s not pure science, more social history, but as an exploration on how technology is changing the way we interact with both the planet and the people who live on it, this brilliantly written, and exceptionally witty book is difficult to put down. Despite hammering home how wildly removed I am from Gen Z, The Future Starts Here did fill me with some optimism that maybe, things are looking up.

WHAT I’M TESTING Sara Rigby ONLINE ASSISTANT

PITPAT2 £39, PITPAT.COM

How much exercise does your dog really need – and how much do they actually get? How many miles do they run on a single walk? I ponder these questions when I let Alfie, my black lab, off the lead and he immediately vanishes over the horizon. PitPat2, a fitness tracker specially designed for dogs, answers with a wealth of data. The device, which connects to a free smartphone app via Bluetooth, tracks how much time your dog spends walking, running, playing and resting, based on a step counter. Alfie normally hates having anything on his collar, but he doesn’t even seem to notice the unobtrusive PitPat.

To calculate how much exercise Alfie needs, the app considers his breed, age and weight and produces a daily goal – though you can adjust it. In conjunction with your vet, you can even set a weight loss target, and the app will estimate how long it will take for your pet to achieve it.

A paid version of the app, called PitPat Life, comes with discounts on various dog products and gives you the ability to earn points to exchange for dog toys and merchandise, though it doesn’t add any extra data or features.

Now I know his daily goal, I’m not sure that tracking Alfie’s exercise would be particularly useful in the long-term. That said, the app is easy to use and keeping an eye on what he does each day is definitely interesting. Alfie is quite an active dog, so I can imagine that it would be more useful if your pup prefers cuddles to walks. Plus, you can share your dog’s data with anyone else who has the app, so I’d be more comfortable with someone else looking after Alfie if I could make sure he was getting plenty of walks while I was away.