Pubdate: Thu, 30 Mar 2000 Source: Examiner, The (Ireland) Copyright: Examiner Publications Ltd, 2000 Contact: http://www.examiner.ie/ Author: Evelyn Ring MS GROUP WELCOME BRITISH TRIALS ON CANNABIS THE head of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Ireland has welcomed clinical trials on the effectiveness of cannabis in the treatment of MS. Michael Dineen, chief executive of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Ireland, welcomed the trials, which are scheduled to begin in Britain this summer. However, he said they could not recommend that MS sufferers use cannabis. Not only was it an illegal drug, there was no clinical evidence to back up the claims that it can have medical benefits, he said. "The society provides information and support, and it is crucial that the information we give is both accurate and of benefit to people with MS," he said. However, for some of the 5,000 people in Ireland suffering from multiple sclerosis, cannabis is their only relief. The Department of Health and Children said it would give serious consideration to an application for a licence, under the Misuse of Drugs Acts, for research to be carried out on the alleged medicinal benefits of cannabis. To date, however, no such application has been made. Cannabis is illegal and, while it may bring relief to some sufferers, it does not work for everybody. One of the major problems with MS is its unpredictability. There are five different forms of MS. There is no known cause and no known cure. Sufferers also react differently to various treatments. Not everyone with the disease is in pain, and only a small percentage are in severe pain. There are drugs clinically proven to reduce attacks and various forms of pain relief are prescribed according to need. The drug Beta interferon was heralded as offering new hope for people with MS when it was licensed in 1997. However, the drug is extremely expensive - a year’s supply costs pounds 10,000. The drug is paid for by the State on behalf of MS sufferers who are prescribed it. The so called wonder drug has been regarded as a mixed blessing. Some MS suffers get relief from using it, while others felt it made them worse. Now, some MS sufferers are praying new clinical trials on cannabis in Britain will offer new hope. The Medical Research Council, together with the Multiple Sclerosis Society in Britain, has set aside almost pounds 1 million to allow a consultant neurologist in Plymouth to carry out trials to establish the medical benefits of cannabis. A total of 660 MS patients will be recruited, starting this summer. Those selected must also be suffering with leg spasms, a condition associated with the illness. The trials will run for between 16 to 18 weeks, starting this summer, but it will take years before a new drug containing cannabis derived ingredients will be available on prescription. Research at University College London shows that cannabis can ease some of the painful symptoms of MS. The findings, published earlier this month, also show that the drug’s active chemicals, known as cannabinoids, prevent muscle aches and tremors in animals. Dr Lorna Layward, head of research at the Multiple Sclerosis Society in Britain and co author of the study, said there had been anecdotal evidence that some people with multiple sclerosis have found relief from symptoms such as painful spasms by using cannabis. "This research sets that evidence into text. It provides a firm basis for the human trials in MS that will commence shortly," she said. Recently, a jury in Britain refused to convict an MS sufferer who used cannabis to ease his pain. The 51 year old former deep sea diver told Ipswich Crown Court that cannabis was the only drug that eased his pain without unpleasant side effects. Thomas Yates told the court he knew quite a few other MS sufferers who use cannabis. Mr Yates said he now uses morphine that makes him feel sick. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D