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UK: Legal cannabis for Ulster MS victims?

Nigel Gould

Belfast Telegraph

Thursday 07 Dec 2006

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Hundreds of long-suffering patients in Northern Ireland could soon have
access to legal cannabis-based drugs for their crippling condition.

A major trial into the alternative treatments for multiple sclerosis
patients is taking place in Plymouth.

The Northern Ireland branch of the MS Society is hoping sufferers can
benefit soon.

"Currently drugs for MS are in short supply," MS Society Northern
Ireland spokesman Robert McConnell said.

"This is where legal and licensed cannabis-based drugs will help and we
are pleased drugs companies are taking an interest in their development.

"We cannot condone the use of illegal drugs but the MS Society is aware
anecdotally of patients receiving benefits from cannabis."

Mr McConnell was speaking after three people appeared in court in
England over the sale of home-made cannabis chocolate bars to MS sufferers.

Gift shop manager Mark Gibson (42) and his wife Lezley (42), who has MS,
both from Alston in Cumbria, and Marcus Davies (36), from St Ives in
Cambridgeshire, "made no secret" of their involvement in such activity
to police, Carlisle Crown Court was told.

But the trio deny two charges each of conspiring together to supply
cannabis throughout 2004 until February 2005.

Police seized 33 Jiffy bags containing Canna-Biz chocolate bars from the
Royal Mail sorting office in Carlisle on January 25 this year.

The depot's duty manager alerted officers after one of the packages had
fallen open as it was being sorted, spilling out one of the 150g bars,
later found to be each laced with 3.5g of cannabis.

The trial is expected to last seven days.

Other alternatives at the moment include the cannabis-based Sativex
spray, which is licensed in Canada to alleviate pain in multiple
sclerosis patients.

The Belfast Telegraph understands several Ulster patients are using this
for pain relief.

After extra funding from the Department of Health, around 15% of 183 MS
patients in Northern Ireland have been taken off long waiting lists for
life- changing drugs such as beta interferon.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/article2054936.ece

 

 

 

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