Subj: Body's pain relief mimics cannabis

Date: Jul 16, 1998

Source: The Independent

Body's pain relief mimics cannabis

By Charles Arthur, Technology Editor

The ability of cannabis to control the pain of
people suffering from illnesses such as multiple
sclerosis and arthritis may arise because the body
makes similar chemicals to control pain signals.

Scientists have discovered that cannabis-like
substances that the body produces are key in the
control of pain experienced beyond the central
nervous system.

That would tally with the preference of a growing
number of people who are smoking cannabis to
control symptoms from various illnesses. In
California, a recent by-law allowed people to
grow cannabis for medicinal purposes.

According to work published today in the science
journal Nature, "cannabinoid receptors" located
outside the brain and spine are affected when the
skin or flesh is cut or hurt. A cannabis-like
chemical produced by the body, called
anadamide, is released when cells are damaged
and helps to ease the pain sensation.

Working together with another cannabinoid called
PEA that the body makes, they reduced pain
100-fold, scientists found.

Antonio Calignano, at the University of Naples in
Italy, found that rats which were treated with a
chemical that blocked the action of anadamide
showed longer and greater reaction to pain.

The findings could be important for research now
underway in Britain, where the Home Office last
month issued the first-ever licence to grow
cannabis for investigation into the development of
medicines.

Dr Geoffrey Guy, who is running the tests, aims to
extract active chemicals from the plants and
check their effectiveness as painkillers. "I'm
interested in producing something helpful to
certain people, such as multiple sclerosis
sufferers, people with painful spinal injuries and
pain from nerve diseases," he said last month.

The Italian researchers also noted that their
findings could lead to new anaesthetics which will
exploit the ability of anandamide and similar
cannabinoids generated by the body to "reduce
pain without ... side effects and perceived abuse
potential" of cannabis or opiates such as heroin.