BELGIUM APPROVES CANNABIS FOR SELECTED MEDICAL PURPOSES

BRUSSELS, July 19 (AFP) - Belgium has approved the use of cannabis
for selected medical purposes on a trial basis, according to a decree
published on Thursday in the government's official journal.

Cannabis will be legal in Belgium for treating nausea caused by
chemotheraphy and radiotherapy, glaucoma, pains and muscle spasms
linked to multiple sclerosis, AIDS symptoms and chronic pain
resulting from the failure of other treatments, the decree stated.

But it can be administered only in Belgian hospitals as part of
research -- approved in advance by an ethics committee -- to
determine its effectiveness and any side effects.

Doctors will also have to report on a monthly basis how much cannabis
they give to their patients, the decree said, adding that the
decision was being taken "without prejudice" to existing Belgian
narcotics laws.

Last January the government said it would decriminalise the
possession of small amounts of cannabis, while stopping short of
approving "coffee shops" like those in the Netherlands which sell
marijuana openly.

In May the US Supreme Court ruled unanimously that cannabis could not
be distributed for medicinal purposes in the United States because
Congress had determined it had no such purpose.