MARIJUANA COMPOUND COULD EASE MS TREMORS

Cannabinoids, the active ingredient in marijuana, can reduce tremors
and spasticity in mice with a disease that mimics multiple sclerosis,
British researchers reported Thursday. The research could lead to
trials of the drug in humans with multiple sclerosis, which affects
about 350,000 people in the United States.

The mouse disease is called chronic allergic encephalomyelitis, and
is widely used for studying MS and potential treatments. Dr. David
Baker of University College London and researchers from the MS Society
of Great Britain and Northern Ireland used cannabinoids to treat mice
in the early stages of the disease, and found significant reductions
in tremors and spasticity, they reported in the journal Nature.

Large doses of the drug are known to suppress the immune system. MS is
caused by an attack on nerve fibers by the patient's own immune system.