CANNABIS FARM HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED

LONDON (AP) -- Britain's first government-sanctioned cannabis farm has been
established to grow marijuana for medical research purposes, the company
running it said today.

A high-perimeter fence surrounds the $6.5 million greenhouse complex run by
GW Pharmaceuticals, the first British research company to be granted
government licenses for the cultivation, storage and distribution of
cannabis for medical research.

Details of the facility's location and the security measures protecting it
are being kept secret to guard against theft, the company said. Initially,
the complex will develop extracts of cannabis plants grown under controlled
conditions for investigation into whether the drug can be used to safely
treat a range of illnesses and, other than smoke it, how patients can use
the drug.

"There is a considerable body of evidence to suggest that cannabis may have
a number of medicinal uses, but there have been very few systematic research
programs or controlled clinical trials," said Dr. Geoffrey Guy, founder of
GW Pharmaceuticals, which was set up specially to conduct
government-sanctioned cannabis research. "Our aim will be to establish the
medical facts."

The U.S. government announced last year that it is to spend up to $1 million
gathering scientific evidence on the effectiveness of cannabis as a medical
treatment.

California and Arizona voters have approved initiatives allowing medical
uses for marijuana.

Some research has suggested that the drug is useful in relieving internal
eye pressure in glaucoma; for controlling nausea in cancer patients on
chemotherapy; and for combating wasting, a severe weight loss associated
with AIDS and the HIV virus.

Checked-by: Melodi Cornett