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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Cannabis spray 'relieves pain'
David Derbyshire The Telegraph
Tuesday 04 Sep 2001 CANNABIS relieves chronic pain for most people suffering from multiple sclerosis or nerve injury, according to early results announced yesterday from the first medical trial of its kind. In tests, a cannabis spray improved the quality of life for 17 out of 21 patients, easing agonising pain or helping them to sleep better, the British Association for the Advancement of Science was told. Dr William Norcutt, who is carrying out the study at James Paget Hospital, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, said the trials were going "very well" and the drug could be introduced within a few years. Although cannabis has been used in medicine for thousands of years there have been few clinical trials using a standardised pill or spray made from the plant. Half a dozen clinics in Britain are testing sprays derived from cannabis being grown at a secret location by GW Pharmaceuticals, which is licensed to produce the plants. The drug is sprayed under the tongue. Unlike pills, which take three or four hours to work, the spray gets the drug quickly into the bloodstream, where it starts working within 30 minutes. The dose is regulated by the patient and is not intended to produce a "high". "The traditional joint may be an effective way of delivering cannabis and a variety of other extremely toxic chemicals to the base of your lungs but it cannot be analysed and is not suitable for medical practice," said Dr Norcutt. "We do not deliver other drugs by drying them, rolling them up, setting light to them and inviting you to breathe them in." He tested the spray on patients with multiple sclerosis, spinal injuries or nerve damage over eight weeks. All but four of the patients reported that cannabis reduced pain. "In some it removed the pain," said Dr Norcutt. "One patient said it did nothing for pain but meant that sleep was possible." The best results came from the combination spray, he said. The results will be published next year. The patients were picked for the study because Dr Norcutt believed they would respond well to treatment. In larger studies, the drug may not work as well for such a high proportion of people. Some of the volunteers also complained of side effects, such as fainting and a dry mouth when first given the drug. But most effects disappeared after the dose was lowered. Some patients were able to return to work and drive safely while taking the drug. About 2,000 people are taking part in clinical trials of cannabis for a variety of ailments, including cancer and arthritis. If the trials are good enough, the Medicines Control Agency will be asked to license cannabis.
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