Nepal, Nov. 8 -- Considering the benefits of cannabis in pain management and the reported cure of several neural diseases such as seizure and dementia, it could become a drug of choice in the future worth billions of dollars. The number of global cannabis patent applications has doubled since 2008, and according to the World Intellectual Property Organisation, approximately 10,246 cannabis-related applications have been filed since 1978. The soaring number of patents has generated wealth with legal cannabis sales believed to have hit $10 billion in the US in 2018, and is predicted to reach nearly $23 billion by 2025.

The patents usually applied for include utility, design and plant types and compositions. Perhaps the most controversial i...