PAIN TEST FOR CANNABIS

Dr Holdcroft with Tom Kelleher Cannabis extract is undergoing its first
large scale UK trials to measure if it could be a treatment for
post-operative pain.

Up to 2,000 patients at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London will
be taking part.

Some will get tablets containing the "cannabinoid" chemical, others
conventional pain relief capsules and some others a placebo pill with no
active ingredients.

The trial, led by Dr Anita Holdcroft, is another in a clutch of experiments
launched in the UK since the government gave cannabis trials the green
light two years ago.

Others are checking its effect on MS symptoms and cancer pain.

At the moment patients might be given a powerful painkiller such as
morphine for the hours immediately after surgery.

However, doctors are loathe to prescribe drugs like these for too long, so
as soon as possible, more conventional painkillers such as codeine or even
paracetamol are given.

Reduced dose

Cannabis extracts, it is hoped, might do a better job than these at dealing
with pain, and, if used earlier in combination with the morphine, reduce
the amount of the more powerful drug which has to be used.

Dr Holdcroft told the BBC: "There is anecdotal evidence that when people
smoke it, cannabis does have pain-relieving effects.

"What we want to do now is prove it does provide pain-relief in a hospital
setting.

"We have produced a standardised pill, so we know exactly how much of the
drug the patient is getting, and can monitor side-effects precisely."

The cannabis itself is being supplied to the trial by a charity, and the
research is being funded by the Medical Resarch Council.

Both a supposed active ingredient of cannabis, called THC, and tablets made
from cannabis oil, are being tested.

Patients have mixed feelings about the introduction of cannabis into the
hospital pharmacy.

Tom Kelleher, recovering after abdominal surgery, said: "I'm totally
against drugs - but it's good to use them in the proper sense, in hospital."

The results of the trials will influence any decision by the government to
licence cannabis -based drugs.