'Pot Pills' Go On Trial in BritainIn the latest sign of medical marijuana hitting mainstream medical practice, British scientists say they will use the drug in pain-reducing clinical trials involving some 400 post-operative patients here.The study, announced by the British Medical Research Council, is particularly poignant in Britain, where the government's view on marijuana is seen as more relaxed than in the United States. Partly to free up officers needed to fight serious crime, British police have taken a "softly-softly" approach to smoking marijuana in public places in London. In the past year, cannabis cafes also have been testing the law. The clinical trail will use cannabis capsules, called Cannador, to test their effect on patients needing pain medication. Regularly prescribed painkillers and placebos will be used to control the study. Similar studies with so-called "pot pills" have been performed in the United States, with doctors saying cannabis shows no more effective than codeine in pain reduction. However, British scientists and the Berlin-based Society of Ontological and Immunological Research, the developer of Cannador, say they hope the new pills -- containing more extracts, or cannabinoids, from the marijuana plant -- will have a more pronounced affect on pain sufferers. SEEKING SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE In a statement on Wednesday, the Medical Research Council said it wants to "scientifically acquire anecdotal evidence of the efficaciousness of cannabis in pain-relief." Cannabis has a long history of use in Britain, dating back to Victorian times when Queen Victoria is said to have taken it for menstrual pains. Her doctor once described marijuana as "one of the most valuable medicines we possess." The invention of the syringe at the end of the 19th century nearly spelled the end to the use of medical marijuana in Britain, because cannabis cannot dissolve in water and quickly enter the bloodstream. Research shows that oral administration of cannabis hampers its effectiveness because of the slow absorption rate. Many sufferers of diseases alleviated by cannabis -- like multiple sclerosis, high blood pressure, migraines and arthritis -- simply smoke the drug which, despite the harmful side effects of smoking, gives many sufferers relief within minutes. CANNABIS SPRAY Seeking a solution to the problem, British biotech firm G.W. Pharmaceuticals has developed a cannabis spray, whose effects could be felt faster than waiting for a capsule to ingest and be released into the bloodstream. Sylvia Barber of Bayer pharmaceutical company, manufacturers of G.W Pharmaceuticals' products, said researchers are awaiting government approval of their product. "The proposal was issued to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency in March of this year, and we are still awaiting approval. We have submitted the product for the treatment of the symptoms of [multiple sclerosis] and neuropathic pain." She added that G.W Pharmaceuticals is still doing extensive research into the spray's application to other medical conditions. The British Medical Research Council said it hopes the results of its study will be ready for publication within a year. NBC's Emily Stephens is based in London.
|
 |
Menu Items
|
 |
Cannabis around the World |
