Professor Val Curran and Professor David Nutt will carry out the trial for the show Drugs Live: Cannabis looking at the effect of skunk, cannabis resin and a placebo on volunteers in a laboratory setting.
Volunteers will take strong skunk cannabis on TV for a Channel 4 show examining the risks posed by the drug.
They will also try cannabis resin and a placebo as part of the study which the channel said would be carried out at University College London (UCL) "under laboratory conditions" in the one-off 90-minute show.
The show, called Drugs Live: Cannabis, will test theories that skunk is more addictive than other forms of the drug and can cause paranoia and lead to memory loss.
The volunteers, who have all taken the illegal drug before, will undergo a series of tests examining the effect of both types on their brain, memory and general psychological well being.
Last year cannabis was smoked by 2 million people in the UK, making it the most commonly used illicit drug. Half of 16-29 year olds have tried it at least once.
The programme follows a similar show on ecstasy which saw actor Keith Allen take the drug before being placed inside a brain scanner.
Leading experts Professor Val Curran and Professor David Nutt will carry out the trial.
Professor Curran said: "This is a hugely exciting and important research project which will show how skunk and resin produce different effects on the human brain, mind and behaviour.
"Channel 4's Drugs Live: The Ecstasy Trial was watched by around two million young people in the UK last year and many more across the internet.
"My hope is that this new programme will scientifically inform those who use, have used or are thinking of using this drug about the effects of different types of cannabis."
The trial will be accompanied by a debate on the subject involving scientists, health professionals, politicians, cannabis users and drug campaigners.
The programmes aim to cut through emotional debate surrounding drugs. However, The Ecstasy Trial provoked fierce debate about whether it was a proper scientific study or a publicity stunt.
Cannabis, which was made illegal in the UK in 1928, is a class B drug.
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