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Science and Technology Select
Committee's report 'Cannabis, the scientific and
medical evidence':
"8.2 ....we have
received enough anecdotal evidence (see above,
paragraphs 5.4, 20-22, 27-30) to convince us that
cannabis almost certainly does have genuine medical
applications, especially in treating the painful
muscular spasms and other symptoms of MS and in the
control of other forms of pain.
8.3 We therefore recommend
that clinical trials of cannabis for the treatment of
MS and chronic pain should be mounted as a matter of
urgency. "
8.9 Unlike cannabis itself,
the cannabinoid THC (dronabinol) and its analogue
nabilone are already accepted by the Government as
having medical value (paragraphs 5.11-17)—producing
the anomaly that, while cannabis itself is banned as
a psychoactive drug, THC, the principal substance
which makes it psychoactive, is in legitimate medical
use. Some of our witnesses are prepared (paragraph 5.50)
to contemplate wider medical use of the cannabinoids,
but not of cannabis itself. We disagree, since some
users of both find cannabis itself more effective (paragraph
5.51).
8.10 Dronabinol (THC), though
not licensed in this country, has already been moved
to Schedule 2 to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations, and
nabilone is a licensed medicine and not a controlled
drug; so no Government action is required in either
case to permit clinical trials or indeed prescription.
All cannabinoids other than THC remain in Schedule 1,
and transferring them would require agreement through
the WHO under the 1971 Convention. We do not regard
this as a priority, since we are not persuaded that
any other cannabinoid has a convincing medical use;
but we recommend that the Government should raise
the matter of rescheduling the remaining cannabinoids
with the WHO in due course, in order to
facilitate research.
www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/ld199798/ldselect/ldsctech/151/15101.htm
Independent Drug Monitoring Unit:
"There is
also a substantial body of research, much of it
historical and/or anecdotal, but supported by a
number of laboratory studies on animal models, to
demonstrate increased tolerance of pain from
administration of cannabis or individual,
cannabinoids, including THC. Other studies have shown
a temporary decrease in intraocular pressure in
Glaucoma patients, a reduction in brain-cell death
following strokes, relief from muscle spasms in MS,
reduced seizure frequency and intensity in epilepsy,
stimulation of appetite in AIDS and anorexia,
bronchodilation in asthma, relief from the symptoms
of irritable bowel syndrome, alcohol or opiate
withdrawal, and a variety of other medical uses.
Although the scientific evidence is equivocal, more
users report ‘relaxation’ as an effect of
cannabis use than any other ‘benefit’.
The BMA recommended that THC and/or other
cannabinoids be made available for prescription and
research for patients with intractable pain. The
House of Lords Science & Technology Select
Committee recommended that doctors should be allowed
to prescribe cannabis for medical use, and that a
prescription should form a defence against
prosecution for cannabis offences."
www.idmu.co.uk/summed.htm
Illnesses helped by cannabis:
"AIDS Wasting Syndrome; Arthritis; Brain
Injury/Stroke; Multiple Sclerosis; Nausea associated
with cancer chemotherapy; Pain; Phantom Limb Pain;
Spinal cord injury; Anti-Tumor Effects; Asthma;
Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis; Depression
and Mental Illness; Eating Disorders; Epilepsy;
Fibromyalgia; Glaucoma; High Blood Pressure/Hypertension;
Migraine; Nail Patella Syndrome; Schizophrenia;
Tourette's Syndrome"
www.gwpharm.com/cann_ther_index.html
Also: "Multiple
Sclerosis, IBS, Addiction withdrawal, Huntington’s
Chorea"
www.idmu.co.uk/medicinal.htm
Clinical trials:
"GW is part of the UK Medicinal Cannabis
Project which has just launched a website where
patients wishing to register their interest in taking
part in one of GW's clinical trials can complete a
patient questionnaire online (the questionnaire is
located in the "Patients" section of their
website.)."
www.idmu.co.uk/clinical.htm
"If you would like to be considered for a
clinical trial you need to complete a confidential
Patient Questionnaire which can be obtained by
contacting GW, giving your name and address and
stating that you would like to receive a Patient
Questionnaire. You do not need to give any further
information as the questionnaire will give you an
opportunity to give all information that you think is
relevant.
GW Pharmaceuticals plc
Porton Down Science Park
Salisbury
Wilts
SP4 0JQ
United Kingdom
Patient Information Line (UK Callers): 0800 052 7100
"
www.gwpharm.com/rese_clin_info.html
Evidence of cancerous tumour reduction in mice:
August 1974, The Washington Post:
"Under the headline, "Cancer Curb Is
Studied," it read in part:
"The active chemical agent in marijuana curbs
the growth of three kinds of cancer in mice and may
also suppress the immunity reaction that causes
rejection of organ transplants, a Medical College of
Virginia team has discovered." The researchers
"found that THC slowed the growth of lung
cancers, breast cancers, and a virus-induced leukemia
in laboratory mice, and prolonged their lives by as
much as 36 percent."
February 2000:
"The Madrid researchers reported in the March
issue of Nature Medicine that they injected the
brains of 45 rats with cancer cells… Cannabinoid
(THC)-treated rats survived significantly longer than
control rats. Nine of the THC-treated rats surpassed
the time of death of untreated rats, and survived up
to 19-35 days. Moreover, the tumor was completely
eradicated in three of the treated rats."
www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01.n572.a11.html
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