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 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 amounts that have started to garner some popularity, including CBN. CBN is supposed to provide a milder psychoactive effect compared to THC, and gummy or edible products containing it are commonly marketed as THC-free sleep and relaxation aids that are non-habit forming. According to the study authors, however, there’s been little research actually done on CBN, particularly on its potential long-term effects.

The researchers dosed mice with CBN twice a day for five straight days. The mice seemed to develop a tolerance to CBN, they found, meaning that the drug’s bodily effects lessened over time. And when the researchers gave the mice a different medication that blocks certain receptors triggered by cannabinoids on the sixth day of testing, the mice appeared to show signs of drug withdrawal, such as head twitches and paw tremors.

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