LORDS CALL TO MAKE CANNABIS LEGAL FOR PAIN RELIEF

DOCTORS should be permitted to prescribe cannabis for medical use, a House
of Lords committee is to propose today. The peers will urge the Government
to act swiftly to lift the ban, so that thousands of people can take the
drug to alleviate pain.

Although the proposals from the Lords Science and Technology Committee will
undoubtedly be supported by many sufferers, they are unlikely to secure the
backing of Jack Straw, the Home Secretary. The Government is acutely
sensitive to the whole issue and any relaxation of the law is unlikely in
the short term.

Under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 1985, cannabis is a Schedule One drug
and all use is banned, except for licensed research. The Lords Science and
Technology Committee recommends that it be reclassified as a Schedule Two
drug.

The committee admits that there is no conclusive proof that cannabis has
medical value but says there is enough anecdotal evidence that it can be
used to treat multiple sclerosis and particular types of pain. It says that
trials should begin at once on cannabis as a treatment for MS and chronic
pain and calls for research into ways of administering it other than smoking.

George Howarth, a Home Office Minister, rejected the recommendation and
insisted that further clinical trials were needed. "The Government would
not be prepared to countenance any move to allow prescription before
clinical trials and safety tests have been completed," he said.

The committee argues that the regulations should be relaxed immediately on
compassionate grounds. The tests could last for some time and it could be
years before any cannabis was available for use. Without it, 85,000 MS
suffers would continue to face the symptoms of their disease without
relief. The committee rejects claims that allowing cannabis for medical
purposes will lead to further legalisation. The peers say their changes
would prevent sufferers risking prosecution and help police to concentrate
on people using the drug for illegal recreational uses.

Lord Perry of Walton, the committee chairman and a former professor of
pharmacology, said: "We have seen enough evidence to convince us that a
doctor might legitimately want to prescribe cannabis to relieve pain, or
the symptoms of MS, and that the criminal law ought not to stand in the
way. Our recommendation would make the ban on recreational use easier to
enforce. Above all, it would show compassion to patients who currently risk
prosecution to get help."

The British Medical Association backed the committee's call for clinical
trials but opposed rescheduling the drug.

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski