THE DRUGS DO WORK?

They cause widespread misery and suffering, as well as mental and
physical illnesses, and they destroy thousands of lives, but
recreational drugs may have health benefits.

Research is increasingly showing that drugs may be able to help some
patients with conditions as diverse as arthritis, cancer, and
Parkinson's, to chronic pain, headaches, and heartburn.

Some, like cannabis, were used as medicine for centuries before they
became illegal, and have been investigated as potential therapies for
many disorders, but newer drugs, such as ecstasy and LSD, are also
being investigated.

CANNABIS

What is it?

First used as a medicine 5,000 years ago, it comes from the plant
Cannabis sativa. The main psychoactive chemical is THC or
delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, which gives the high that makes it the
most widely used illicit drug. But it also contains more than 460
other chemicals, around 60 of which are cannabinoids that work on
brain receptors, and which may have a protective effect in a number
of diseases.

What is it used for?

As well as being the most widely used illicit drug, cannabis is also
the most studied by medical researchers. Much of the research has
centred on its effects in a dozen conditions cancer, nausea, loss of
appetite, chronic pain, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord
injuries, Tourette's syndrome, epilepsy, glaucoma, Parkinson's
disease and dystonia (a neurological movement disorder). A Naples
University report suggests benefits, too, in diarrhoea and stomach ulcers.

Research

Multiple sclerosis:

Cannabis has been investigated in more than a dozen clinical trials
and used to treat many symptoms of the disease. Two trials are under
way at Rome University and at Montreal Neurological Institute, where
cannabis-based extracts are being used for treating spasticity and
pain. "There is evidence to support the view that cannabinoids can
reduce muscle spasticity in people with MS," say the Rome team
Results from trials have been mixed. A Liverpool University study
concluded, "Cannabis-based medicine is effective in reducing pain and
sleep disturbance in patients with multiple sclerosis-related pain."
Another UK trial with 18 patients found a significant reduction in
muscle spasms and pain, but some have found little or not effect. A
report from the Mayo Clinic, Minnesota, suggests cannabis may work by
protecting nerves from the kind of damage that occurs in the disease.

Cancer

Cannabinoids are used with cancer patients to stimulate appetite and
to prevent nausea, vomiting and pain, but according to researchers at
Salerno University, they may also halt tumours.

Rheumatoid arthritis

A study at the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, Bath,
has found it is effective against pain: a "significant analgesic
effect" was seen with rheumatoid arthritis.

Heartburn

An Amsterdam study is looking at the effects of a cannabis-based
medicine on reflux and heartburn. It may have a beneficial effect on
the valve that stops stomach contents flowing back into the oesophagus.

AMPHETAMINES

What are they?

Drugs that have a stimulating effect on the central nervous system,
they are also know as speed and can be addictive. During the Second
World War, amphetamines were widely used to keep soldiers alert.
Amphetamines speed up the nervous system and trigger the release of
adrenalin, which increases heart rate, blood pressure and alertness.

What are they used for?

Dextroamphetamine is used for attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD), and narcolepsy, a sleep disorder that involves
sudden attacks of sleep. According to the

Research

State University of New York, amphetamines have also been used for
obesity and depression. Another study says it is being looked at for
improving recovery from stroke. A Harvard University study found that
a once-a-day mixture of amphetamine salts reduced symptoms of ADHD in
teenagers. Its authors say 60 per cent of patients were very much or
much improved, while 33 per cent were unchanged.

ECSTASY

What is it?

MDMA (3,4 methylenedioxymeth-amphetamine) is a synthetic,
psychoactive drug. It acts as both a stimulant and psychedelic, and
is thought to act on the brain chemicals serotonin and dopamine.

What is it being used for?

It's being investigated as a therapy for anxiety related to cancer
and post-traumatic stress. Work on animals suggests a role in Parkinson's

Research

Parkinson's disease

Researchers at Duke University, North Carolina, have found that
ecstasy may reverse the symptoms of Parkinson's disease in mice. The
researchers say the findings indicate that drugs could be made with
similar effects to offer useful alternatives to current therapies.

Cancer

Patients given a diagnosis of cancer can feel frightened, depressed,
and have intense anxiety. One of the effects of the drug is to
produce feelings of closeness to other people, empathy, and a sense
of well being, all of which reduce anxiety. Doctors leading a
clinical trial at Harvard University and its affiliated McLean
Hospital say MDMA can produce effects uniquely suited to reducing
anxiety from a cancer diagnosis.

LSD

What is it?

Discovered in 1938, lysergic acid diethylamide is made from lysergic
acid, which is found in ergot, a fungus that grows on rye and other
grains. It is hallucinogenic and triggers distortions in perception
of reality and has an effect on serotonin, the neurotransmitter
involved in mood, hunger, sexual behaviour, and muscle control.

What is it used for?

Has been tried for cluster headaches, and as a treatment to help
people trying to give up other drugs.

Research

Harvard Medical School researchers interviewed cluster headache
patients who had used LSD to treat their condition. Seven out of
eight LSD users reported relief and some remission. "Research on the
effects of LSD on cluster headache may be warranted," say the
researchers. According to a US Food and Drug Administration report,
scientists in Baltimore have looked at whether LSD could be a
treatment for addiction to heroin, opium, alcohol, and sedative
hypnotics. "Other scientists are focusing their psychedelic research
on learning about the human brain, discovering antidotes to drug
overdoses, and relieving pain in cancer patients."

Drugs in Development

MAGIC MUSHROOMS

Psilocybin is the main active ingredient in so-called magic
mushrooms. According to a Harvard Medical School report, 22 out of 26
patients who used psilocybin for cluster headaches said they aborted attacks.

IBOGAINE

What is it?

An alkaloid from the root of the Tabernanthe iboga plant, its ritual
use has been practised in tribal communities in Africa for centuries

What it used for?

It has been found to have anti-addiction properties against opiates,
stimulants, alcohol and nicotine, and according to a review in the
European Journal of Pharmacology, it also works as an antidepressive,
and anti-epileptic, and can help in psychotherapy.

COCA

What is it?

Cocaine is extracted from the coca bush, but the leaves themselves
are a traditional medicine.

What is it used for?

The leaves are chewed in Andean cultures to increase endurance at
high altitudes. A World Health Organisation report states, "Coca
leaves have been used by people in some countries and regions for
health benefits, for example, for the relief of gastrointestinal
problems and respiratory ailments and treatment of altitude sickness."

KHAT

What is it?

The khat plant comes from Ethiopia and has been used for centuries in
several countries in East Africa and the Arab Peninsular around the
Red Sea, where the leaves are chewed and have a stimulant effect
similar to a mild amphetamine

What is it used for?

According to animal-based research at Addis Ababa University, it may
work as an aphrodisiac: "Khat has aphrodising effect at low dose
while it inhibits sexual behaviour at high doses."