cannabisnews.com: Cannabis on Trial for Pain Relief 





Cannabis on Trial for Pain Relief 
Posted by CN Staff on August 20, 2003 at 07:23:19 PT
Press Association
Source: Guardian Unlimited UK
Cannabis is to be used to treat pain relief after surgery in 35 hospitals across the country under a government-funded experiment.Around 400 patients scheduled to undergo surgery are being asked to take part in the trials to measure the effects of cannabis plant extract against other pain-relieving drugs. Each patient will be randomly assigned to one of four oral pain relieving treatments containing either standardised cannabis extract, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, an active ingredient in cannabis), a standard pain-relieving drug, or a placebo. 
The pain relief and side effects will be assessed over a six-hour period with patients being asked to respond to questions about their pain and feelings. The £500,000 study for the medical research council is being led by Dr Anita Holdcroft from Imperial College, London.She said that anecdotal evidence suggesting cannabis could provide effective pain relief for a variety of debilitating conditions needed to be assessed scientifically. "My patients and clinicians want an answer to the question of whether cannabis is effective at relieving pain," she said."We need to assess the scientific merits of some of the anecdotal evidence and we need to do this in the same way as any other experimental pain treatment."She added that if oral cannabis plant extract was found to be effective and without adverse side effects, it could provide another pain relief option to doctors and patients.The MRC confirmed that the hospitals currently signed up to take part in the trial are: Chelsea and Westminster, London Charing Cross, London Hammersmith, London Ravenscourt Park, London Barts and the Royal London, London The Middlesex UCLH, London The Manor, Walsall, West Midlands Ealing Hospital, London Hillingdon Hospital, London West Middlesex, Middlesex The Whittington, London Royal United Hospital, Bath St John's Hospital, Livingston, Lothian Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast City Hospital, Nottingham Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, West Sussex Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital York District Hospital Southampton General Derriford Hospital, Plymouth Wexham Hospital, Slough, Berkshire Wrexham Maelor, North Wales Glasgow Gartnavel Whipps Cross, London Luton and Dunstable Hospital, Bedfordshire The Lister Hospital, Stevenage, Hertfordshire Stirling Royal Infirmary, Falkirk and District Royal Infirmary Victoria Infirmary, Glasgow Blackpool Victoria Hospital Princess Alexandra, Harlow, Essex Royal Liverpool University Hospital Southmead Hospital, Bristol James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough Ipswich Hospital, SuffolkSource: Guardian Unlimited, The (UK)Published: Wednesday August 20, 2003 Copyright: 2003 Guardian Newspapers LimitedContact: letters guardian.co.ukWebsite: http://www.guardian.co.uk/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #2 posted by afterburner on August 20, 2003 at 11:11:53 PT:
Time to Give Biz Ivol a Humanitarian Award...
and to deschedule cannabis, so that it's many medical benefits can be enjoyed by the British people. Please inform Europeans that mixing tobacco with cannabis increases risk of cancer. By re-legalizing the cannabis plant, the price of cannabis will fall, and people can afford to smoke or vapourise pure cannabis leaves and buds, thereby reducing the risks of CO and tar. Canna-choc, of course, has zero combustion and therefore, no risk of cancer. "Concentration problems" are short-lived: novice users are advised to partake in a relaxed environment and to avoid using heavy machinery if they are unfamiliar with the time-slow effects. ego transcendence follows ego destruction, "better living through organic chemistry." -Petard
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on August 20, 2003 at 08:06:12 PT
Related Article
Cannabis Experiment on NHS PatientsAugust 20, 2003 
NHS patients are being asked to volunteer for trials of cannabis as a painkiller. The Medical Research Council is planning to find out if cannabis can be used as a post operation painkiller, and has called for patients waiting for an operation to come forward to take part in the experiment. Of those willing, 400 patients at 36 hospitals will be randomly chosen to take part, and will be asked to take one of four pills, two of which will be a form of cannabis.One of the pills will contain an active ingredient from a cannabis plant while the other will contain a standard cannabis extract. Other patients will be given either a standard painkilling capsule or a placebo. Marijuana is believed to have a wide range of medical applications, with sufferers of menstrual pain, asthma, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, strokes, alcoholism and insomnia all claiming it has some positive impact on their problems. While most claims remain circumstantial, science has recently added weight to its case for three conditions. They have found some evidence that the effects of chemotherapy can be reduced by the use of the drug, and the USA's Food and Drug Administration allows its use to boost the appetites of AIDS sufferers with wasting diseases. Most notable in the UK has been a recent study that found pain caused by Multiple Sclerosis was significantly reduced in patients using cannabis. Dr Anita Holdcroft from Imperial College London explained the aim behind the experiment, saying: 'Many patients and clinicians want an answer to the question of whether cannabis is effective at relieving pain. We need to assess the scientific merits of some of the anecdotal evidence and we need to do this in the same way as any other experimental pain treatment. This is a proper study in a clinical setting where patients can be routinely monitored, using an oral capsule containing a prescribed dose.However, anti drugs campaigners are concerned about the legal use of the drug, which they argue can lead to concentration problems and increased risks of cancer when smoked.Copyright: 1998-2003 DeHavilland Information Services plc. 
 
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