PRINCE CHARLES DRAWN INTO MEDICINAL MARIJUANA DEBATE

LONDON (AP) - Prince Charles was drawn into the debate on the medicinal
properties of marijuana after asking a multiple sclerosis sufferer if she
had ever tried it, newspapers reported Thursday.

The Guardian newspaper quoted 36-year-old Karen Drake, who suffers from
multiple sclerosis, as saying that the prince had heard marijuana was good
for easing the pain of the disease.

``He (the prince) asked me if I have tried taking cannabis, saying that he
understood that, under strict medical supervision, it was one of the best
things for it,'' Drake was quoted as saying.

The Sun tabloid, Britain's largest-selling newspaper, reported the
conversation as "advice.''

But a spokeswoman for the heir to the throne said the prince was speaking
during a private, informal visit on Tuesday to a west England charity home,
and that the conversation was private.

"The Prince of Wales is aware of the current debate on the issue as to
whether cannabis should be available to people suffering from severe pain
brought on by MS,'' the spokeswoman said on customary condition of
anonymity. ``But he has never spoken publicly on the issue and his is a
private view.''

The Multiple Sclerosis Society has called for clinical trials to
investigate claims that the drug can relieve symptoms.

Checked-by: Richard Lake