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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Doctor's fury at delay in licencing cannabis
James Bigg Evening News, Norwich
Monday 19 Jul 2004 Consultant claims drug would be on the market if it was to treat cancer A PIONEERING Norfolk doctor today accused the Department of Health of dragging its heels over making cannabis available as a painkiller on the NHS. Dr William Notcutt believes the substance would already be on the market were it being used to treat cancer rather than multiple sclerosis. The consultant anaesthetist spearheaded Britain's first clinical trial of the drug at the James Paget Hospital in Gorleston three years ago. He said the groundbreaking research had "transformed the lives" of patients with multiple sclerosis who used the drug. And today it emerged a similar trial involving 24 multiple sclerosis patients in Denmark had also produced positive results Yet health ministers have still not given the green light for cannabis to be used in the treatment of seriously ill people. The Department of Health today confirmed a pharmaceutical company had applied to sell the drug for treatment, but was unable to say when this would happen. Dr Notcutt said the situation was frustrating. "If this were a cancer drug there would be an outcry." He said 'it's taking a very long time. They are now looking at the evidence which has been provided. The registering of drugs is a long and tedious process. Unfortunately it seems to ignore patients who are waiting out there and suffering. And there are a lot who are suffering." Some multiple sclerosis sufferers have risked criminal charges in the past to buy the class C drug in the belief that it helps ease their symptoms. The recent study in Denmark reinforced opinion that cannabis can help reduce pain in patients with multiple sclerosis. Various clinical trials have been looking into the potential use of cannabinoids - extracts of cannabis - in drugs to help patients with painful, debilitating conditions. The participants at Aarhus University Hospital were given dronabinol capsules or identical looking placebo pills for three weeks, after which they were asked to rate their levels of pain. They found that pain intensity was significantly lower and pain relief was higher during treatment with the cannabis extract. But a spokeswoman for the Department of Health said prescribing cannabis extract to patients was still some way off. 'There is an application which has come in from GW Pharmaceuticals and the application is ongoing,' she said. "Licences are not granted until they are proven to be safe, effective and of substantial quality. When that happens it will get a licence. "In this case it is on-going and we can't say when it will happen." Norwich coroner William Armstrong has previously warned that using cannabis can lead to harder drugs in some cases and cause depression in people with mental illness. But he said the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes was different to those who used them for purely recreational purposes.
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