CANNABIS CUTS MS SYMPTOMS IN MICE

Cannabis may ameliorate the symptoms of multiple sclerosis, experiments on
mice have shown. There have been many anecdotal reports of benefits from MS
sufferers who have taken cannabis illegally but scientific evidence has
been lacking.

Now a team led by David Baker of the Institute of Neurology in London has
shown that in a strain of mice which suffer a similar disease, the active
agents in cannabis reduce rigidity and trembling of the muscles. The team
also found that synthetic chemicals mimicking tetrahydrocannabinol (THC),
an active chemical in cannabis, had a similar effect, pointing the way to
new drugs to treat MS.

The results will boost calls to legalise cannabis for medical use.

But the scientists say that their main result may be a move from cannabis
to related synthetic drugs that are even more effective. The mice were
injected with THC and three other compounds: methanandamide, similar to a
cannabinoid produced in the body, and two synthetic compounds.

(The Times, London)