LEGALISE CANNABIS FOR SICK, SAY PEERS

A CALL today by peers for cannabis to be legalised for medicinal use will
be rejected by the Government despite pleas from multiple sclerosis
sufferers who say the drug helps them to cope with the disease.

In a report published this morning, the House of Lords science and
technology committee urges the Government to allow doctors to prescribe
cannabis for pain relief. The committee says ministers should not wait for
the results of clinical trials, which are only just beginning and will last
for several years.

But George Howarth, the Home Office minister, said the Government would not
be prepared to allow the prescription of cannabis before research had
proved it safe. "The safety of patients is our priority, and the Government
would not allow prescription of any drug which had not been tested for
safety, efficacy and quality through that clinical process." He said they
supported further trials into the benefits of cannabis for MS and chronic
pain.

The committee said there should be no lifting of the ban on the
recreational use of cannabis, a recommendation that was welcomed by Mr
Howarth. Lord Perry of Walton, the committee chairman, acknowledged that
the recommendations might attract controversy.

He said: "It would be out of step with quite a lot of countries, but we
think it would be a good thing if the Government showed a lead."

The Multiple Sclerosis Society estimates that at least 1,000 of the 85,000
sufferers in Britain use cannabis to alleviate their symptoms.

Campaigners for the legalisation of cannabis for medicinal purposes
welcomed the committee's conclusions. Clare Hodges, of the Alliance for
Cannabis Therapeutics, who has MS, said the committee had shown compassion
and bravery in its recommendations.

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski