MS GROUP WELCOME BRITISH TRIALS ON CANNABIS

THE head of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Ireland has welcomed clinical
trials on the effectiveness of cannabis in the treatment of MS.

Michael Dineen, chief executive of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of
Ireland, welcomed the trials, which are scheduled to begin in Britain this
summer. However, he said they could not recommend that MS sufferers use
cannabis. Not only was it an illegal drug, there was no clinical evidence
to back up the claims that it can have medical benefits, he said.

"The society provides information and support, and it is crucial that the
information we give is both accurate and of benefit to people with MS," he
said. However, for some of the 5,000 people in Ireland suffering from
multiple sclerosis, cannabis is their only relief. The Department of Health
and Children said it would give serious consideration to an application for
a licence, under the Misuse of Drugs Acts, for research to be carried out
on the alleged medicinal benefits of cannabis. To date, however, no such
application has been made.

Cannabis is illegal and, while it may bring relief to some sufferers, it
does not work for everybody.

One of the major problems with MS is its unpredictability. There are five
different forms of MS. There is no known cause and no known cure. Sufferers
also react differently to various treatments. Not everyone with the disease
is in pain, and only a small percentage are in severe pain. There are drugs
clinically proven to reduce attacks and various forms of pain relief are
prescribed according to need.

The drug Beta interferon was heralded as offering new hope for people with
MS when it was licensed in 1997. However, the drug is extremely expensive -
a year’s supply costs pounds 10,000. The drug is paid for by the State on
behalf of MS sufferers who are prescribed it. The so called wonder drug has
been regarded as a mixed blessing. Some MS suffers get relief from using
it, while others felt it made them worse.

Now, some MS sufferers are praying new clinical trials on cannabis in
Britain will offer new hope. The Medical Research Council, together with
the Multiple Sclerosis Society in Britain, has set aside almost pounds 1
million to allow a consultant neurologist in Plymouth to carry out trials
to establish the medical benefits of cannabis. A total of 660 MS patients
will be recruited, starting this summer. Those selected must also be
suffering with leg spasms, a condition associated with the illness. The
trials will run for between 16 to 18 weeks, starting this summer, but it
will take years before a new drug containing cannabis derived ingredients
will be available on prescription.

Research at University College London shows that cannabis can ease some of
the painful symptoms of MS.

The findings, published earlier this month, also show that the drug’s
active chemicals, known as cannabinoids, prevent muscle aches and tremors
in animals. Dr Lorna Layward, head of research at the Multiple Sclerosis
Society in Britain and co author of the study, said there had been
anecdotal evidence that some people with multiple sclerosis have found
relief from symptoms such as painful spasms by using cannabis. "This
research sets that evidence into text. It provides a firm basis for the
human trials in MS that will commence shortly," she said.

Recently, a jury in Britain refused to convict an MS sufferer who used
cannabis to ease his pain.

The 51 year old former deep sea diver told Ipswich Crown Court that
cannabis was the only drug that eased his pain without unpleasant side
effects. Thomas Yates told the court he knew quite a few other MS sufferers
who use cannabis.

Mr Yates said he now uses morphine that makes him feel sick.