cannabisnews.com: First Large Study of Cannabis for MS Shows Benefit First Large Study of Cannabis for MS Shows Benefit Posted by CN Staff on November 06, 2003 at 16:05:07 PT By Helen Branswell, Canadian Press Source: Canadian Press Toronto -- The first large clinical trial looking at whether marijuana actually has a medicinal effect for people with multiple sclerosis has found there is probably a clinical benefit from taking the drug. The British trial was designed to see if doses of cannabinoids, the active compounds in cannabis, reduce spasticity in people who have MS. While it made no discernible difference on that front, people who received the drug had less pain, slept better and had better mobility than people who received a placebo. "It's fair to say that in the study, we did not see an effect on that pure muscle stiffness," said Dr. Alan Thompson of the U.K. MS research group, which conducted the trial. "But when we went on to look at . . . the impact of that stiffness on people and on their lives and on their mobility, we did see a fairly consistent pattern suggesting there was some benefit in those taking the cannabis preparations." The study, which will be published Saturday in the British medical journal The Lancet, is expected to be keenly scrutinized by both sides in the heated debate over whether marijuana belongs in the medicine cabinet. Anecdotal evidence suggests the drug is helpful for managing the symptoms of a range of ailments but those opposed to its use argue there is precious little scientific proof to back up the claims. "The eyes of the world are on this study because each country has been wondering what they should do about this," Thompson, from the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, said in an interview from London. "What we now have is data that people can look at. And they have to decide on the basis of the data how they wish to proceed." A Canadian MS researcher praised the study, saying she hopes it leads to legal changes. "Aside from the research and moving ahead that way, I hope that this study will also stimulate some better, more rational laws regarding cannabis for medical purposes," said Dr. Luanne Metz, a neurologist and a professor of clinical neurosciences at the University of Calgary. Currently MS patients can get a waiver allowing them to possess and grow marijuana - so long as they get a doctor to attest to the fact they have MS and specify the dose they should use. Because so little research has been done on cannabis and because the strength of marijuana from plants can vary greatly, that puts doctors in an ethical bind. "How do you do that? And how do you prescribe smoked cannabis when you know that it puts three to four times the tar in the lungs as a cigarette does?" asked Metz, who co-wrote a commentary on the study for the journal with research associate Stacey Page. "It puts physicians in a bad spot and patients in an impossible spot." The research team followed 611 people with multiple sclerosis from across Britain. Participants were randomly assigned to receive oral cannabis extract, a synthetic version of a cannabinoid known as tetrahydrocannabinol or THC or a placebo. Neither patients nor their doctors were told who was receiving which treatment, though the authors conceded that many of the people getting cannabis guessed they were on the drug. The researchers tested muscle stiffness using an accepted tool known as the Ashworth scale. A physician attempted to move the limbs of a reclining patient, assessing on a scale of zero to four how hard it was to do so. They found no real difference between the groups, but conceded the scale might be too insensitive to register "small but clinically significant effects on spasticity." Metz agreed. "I think it's a lousy way to measure it. I've used the scale and I'm unimpressed that it has much sensitivity to it," she said. Benefits were noted in other tests, including a timed 10-metre walk and self-assessments filled in by the patients. There was a significant placebo effect noted in the findings, but in all measures other than spasticity those receiving cannabis or THC scored significantly higher than those on placebo. Still, it was not a clear home run. Thompson himself called the findings "a mixed picture"; the study suggests more research is necessary. "One always hopes for clarity," Thompson admitted. "The trouble with science, I think it's fair to say, is that it often gives you grey rather than black and white. And you don't get clarity. And we are forced to make judgments based on the evidence . . . as to how we intend to proceed." Complete Title: First Large Study of Cannabis for Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms Finds BenefitSource: Canadian Press Author: Helen Branswell, Canadian Press Published: Thursday, November 06, 2003Copyright: 2003 The Canadian PressRelated Articles & Web Site:GW Pharmaceuticalshttp://www.gwpharm.com/Worlds Biggest MS Trial Shows Benefits http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17744.shtmlGW and Bayer Announce Marketing Agreement http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17741.shtmlDoor Opens for Medical Cannabis http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17714.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #15 posted by FoM on November 07, 2003 at 20:43:56 PT Petard When we care for those less fortunate we live rich lives. It sounds like you will be helping those in need. That's always a good thing. I've had very wealthy friends. Really nice people. They are no different then regular folks. They have problems and guilts too. I never felt that anyone I knew that was wealthy was ever really happy. I felt sorry for them. Money creates more problems that it's worth most times. All in all you can't take it with you and you miss a lot of nice things along the way if a person goes that path. You seem to be going in the right direction from my point of view. [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by Petard on November 07, 2003 at 20:02:43 PT FoM, I'm not so young I'm almost 40, had one career and lost ALL respect for American Consumerism and industry in general. That's why I'm intent on helping people. So I hope after graduation my employer doesn't view me as Department Head material. Been there, done that, threw the damned T-shirt away and tried to shower away the stench of the uncontrolled pursuit of profit irregardless of human cost. Denial ain't a river in Egypt, it's a daily fact of life for the wealthy. Denial that their hoarding of goods and services, the accumulation of wealth, deprives others of a piece of the one pie we all share. Every penney of extra profit comes out of some else's pocket, off the table their kids are fed from, the clothes off the backs of people. It's not the wealthy that need the skills and services I'm learning, it's the less advantaged that needs me. The old, the young, the poor, and the middle class, the ill and infirm, those are the ones who need help. Marie Antoinette spoke to the wrong crowd. Let the wealthy attempt to buy their way out of health problems while I treat the ones they scorn for not having cash. [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by FoM on November 06, 2003 at 20:34:26 PT Petard Thank you and good job. I wanted to say that in my earlier post but I forgot. It so good to see young folks taking the ball and running with it. Soon many of us will be getting tired because of our age and we'll need you to keep us going! That makes me happy to know you and others will be there. Don't quit! [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by FoM on November 06, 2003 at 19:34:35 PT Dr. Russo I fixed it. [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by FoM on November 06, 2003 at 19:31:47 PT Dr. Russo Thank you. I wish I understood this issue better. I believe that Cannabis is good medicine. I personally have problems with pills. I know pills are necessary but if a person is nauseated and inhales cannabis they can't lose a pill if they get sick. My son couldn't keep his pills down. He had a terrible time trying to figure out if the pills were lost when he got sick. He never knew when he should take more or not. [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by Ethan Russo MD on November 06, 2003 at 17:57:30 PT: Oops, Error Make that LTE on this same extract! [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by Ethan Russo MD on November 06, 2003 at 17:31:17 PT: Good, But Could have Been Better I wrote an LTE on this same extract in another study in the journal Neurology:Numerous methodological issues require discussion with reference to the recent article on cannabis in MS (Killestein J, et al. Safety, tolerability, and efficacy of orally administered cannabinoids in MS. Neurology 2002;58(9):1404-1407), in which a poorly characterized cannabis extract was studied in 16 MS patients with spasticity, few benefited and significant side effects were reported. This contrasts dramatically with a previous double-blind study in 9 subjects employing THC 5-10 mg that demonstrated improvement in spasticity measures to the PReferences 1. Petro DJ, Ellenberger C. Treatment of human spasticity with delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol. Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 1981;21:413S-416S. 2. Vaney C, Jobin P, Tschopp F, Heinzel M, Schnelle M. Efficacy, safety and tolerability of an orally administered cannabis extract in the treatment of spasticity in patients with multiple sclerosis. In: Symposium on the Cannabinoids; July 13, 2002; Asilomar Conference Center, Pacific Grove, CA: International Cannabinoid Research Society, 2002: 57. 3. Robson PJ, Wade DT, Makela PM, House H. Cannabis medicinal extracts (CME), including cannabidiol, alleviated neurogenic symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury. In: Symposium on the Cannabinoids; July 13, 2002; Asilomar Conference Center, Pacific Grove, CA: International Cannabinoid Research Society, 2002: 56. 4. Baker D, Pryce G, Croxford JL, Brown P, Pertwee RG, Huffman JW, et al. Cannabinoids control spasticity and tremor in a multiple sclerosis model. Nature 2000;404(6773):84-87. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by Petard on November 06, 2003 at 17:15:13 PT Not just Good medicine, GREAT medicine There's going to be so much more medical news coming it's going to be insane for the U.S. Feds to continue to wage war on their own citizens. (It already is but will become absolutely transparent) It's the ONLY medicine I know of that is totally non-toxic. I hope to pursue research into the cellular interactions of the cannabinoids, specifically the relationships between cannabinoids and cancer cells, after graduation in two years. Thanks for the encouragement Kapt :-) Clinical slots are so competitive, keeping up the grades is an absolute MUST. I also view it as more than admittance to Clinicals though, it's better patient care overall by learning more than the required info to pass the courses. The more I put into it NOW the better off Human Beings, People with lives and families and other loved ones, will be in life later. That to me is THE important thing, PEOPLE, not politics, not profits, not "statements", simply making people, and the overall human condition, better. Cannabis appears to be one tool that can do that in multiple ways, a veritable monkey wrench of medicinal values. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by FoM on November 06, 2003 at 16:57:38 PT Related Article from The Associated Press First Major Study of Medicinal Marijuana Indicates It Could Help in Multiple Sclerosis: http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17746.shtml [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by Virgil on November 06, 2003 at 16:52:06 PT MSNBC on Canadian medicine Here is an article that might as well be titled "You are getting screwed"- http://msnbc.com/news/990034.asp?0cv=CB20CBS Evening News reported the courts shut down a company selling Canadain medicine.PBS will have that program on Alternative medicine tonight at 10PM here. It is called "The Alternative Fix"- http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/ How can they leave out cannabis? [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by FoM on November 06, 2003 at 16:45:27 PT Related Article from Web MD Cannabis May Help Multiple Sclerosis: http://my.webmd.com/content/article/76/90173.htm?z=1728_00000_1000_nb_02 [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on November 06, 2003 at 16:43:51 PT Petard I second kapts comment. Cannabis is good medicine. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by FoM on November 06, 2003 at 16:42:26 PT Related Article from Nature News Service Cannabis Study Shows Small MS: Benefit: http://www.nature.com/nsu/031103/031103-14.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by kaptinemo on November 06, 2003 at 16:41:34 PT: Petard, don't feel so badly about the timing... After all, it can only make what you said *before* the latest news came out have MORE credibility when you speak again.At the risk of seeming mystical, things happen for a reason. The timing of all this MMJ related information being inserted into the public's consciousness will have a ripple effect. Each new revealtion will force serious consideration of our position...and put antis on the spot for sure. For example, I'd like to see Johnny Pee call Montel Williams a supporter of terrorism for using MMJ to treat his MS. Or claim that scientific studies don't exist to back his and other's usage of it.Keep up the great work! [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by petard on November 06, 2003 at 16:26:22 PT Dang it... I had to give a major speech for class YESTERDAY and chose Med Cannabis. Now today they come out with the GW/Bayer Canadian contract and the news about the MS studies. I could've used those yesterday. Oh well, I still got an "A" (184 out of a possible 200 points) and I had gone over the time limit by almost 3 times anyway. Still, would've been nice to see even more jaws drop. Maybe the news will cooperate in a more timely fashion for the final speech, a Persuasive one, with Legalization as my chosen topic.P.S. Thanks for all your hard work FoM on running this site. Without such an extensive database to draw from, the research would've been much more difficult. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment