NURSES SET TO BACK USE OF CANNABIS

Nurses are joining the fight to get cannabis products prescribed for
patients. The move follows concern that people with conditions such as
multiple sclerosis and cancer are not getting adequate pain relief from
traditional treatments.

A motion calling for patients to be prescribed the drugs has been put
forward by the Royal College of Nursing's Pain Forum and will be debated at
the RCN's annual conference in Bournemouth this week.

Only two cannabis-based products, known as cannabinoids, are currently used
therapeutically. One, nabilone, is used in hospitals in Britain to prevent
nausea in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. The other,
tetrahydrocannabinol, is used in the US to improve the appetites of
patients with Aids.

Hundreds of people are thought to be illegally using cannabis to fight
their symptoms despite the risk of prison sentences and claims by some
doctors that it can speed up the heart, causes paranoia and even insanity.

Celia Manson, an RCN adviser, said nurses were concerned about the
restrictions on current cannabis-derived products which could benefit so
many people. "Few doctors are able to prescribe them at the moment. Nurses
from the Pain Forum feel there is potential for much greater use and these
should at the very least be investigated."

A previous motion to decriminilise cannabis was defeated at the conference
a few years ago but this one may well be passed by RCN members on Thursday.

Last year at its annual conference the British Medical Association voted
for cannabis derivatives to be legalised for medical purposes. The BMA drew
up a report which showed cannabinoids had potential for therapeutic use in
a number of conditions including MS, spinal chord injury, stroke and
spastic disorders.