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| Research Casts Doubt on Cannabis Benefits |
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Posted by FoM on July 05, 2001 at 20:36:25 PT By Sarah Boseley, Health Editor Source: Guardian Unlimited 
Cannabis derivatives are neither as effective nor as safe as conventional medicines for the relief of pain and prevention of sickness during cancer drug treatment, according to two reviews of existing evidence which will dismay those who hope to see marijuana licensed as a medicine. However, neither study focused on the possible benefit to people suffering from multiple sclerosis. Cannabis derivatives are being tested on substantial numbers of people with MS and other neuropathic disorders as a result of sufferers' claims that smoking dope relieved their symptoms and their pain. Recently a House of Lords select committee urged the medicines control agency to help speed up the process of licensing cannabis derivatives. The MCA, however, has said it may require further tests on the toxicity of one of the cannabinoids - the chemicals derived from breaking down the whole plant. The review published today in the British Medical Journal suggests that cannabinoids do have an effect in pain and sickness relief, but that it is not great, and it warns of serious side effects that outweigh the benefits. The authors acknowledge, however, that multiple sclerosis - where there are few useful drugs - may be a special case. One trial, examined during the review of pain control, showed not only that people who smoked marijuana felt that their symptoms had improved, but that their posture and balance measurably improved. Fiona Campbell, from the pain management centre of the Queen's medical centre in Nottingham, collaborated with colleagues in Oxford and Switzerland to review all the trials that have been done into cannabinoids for pain management. They found nine relevant and acceptable studies, of which five related to cancer pain, two to acute pain after surgery and two to chronic pain. The researchers found that cannabinoids were no more effective than codeine tablets in controlling pain. They depressed the nervous system, which would limit their use. "Their widespread introduction into clinical practice for pain management is therefore undesirable. In acute postoperative pain they should not be used," the authors said. They and the team who reviewed the use of cannabinoids to prevent sickness in people undergoing chemo therapy, or toxic drug treatment for cancer, were alarmed by the side effects of the cannabinoids. "Adverse effects associated with the cannabinoids were common and sometimes severe in six of the eight trials that showed efficacy," said Dr Campbell and colleagues. The result of the review of the chemotherapy studies was otherwise a little more optimistic. Martin Tramer, an anaes thetist from the University hospital of Geneva, Switzerland, and colleagues from the Oxford Radcliffe hospital in the UK looked at the results of 30 trials published between 1975 and 1997. They found the cannabinoids were slightly more effective than other drugs in preventing nausea and vomiting, and the patients preferred them. But the researchers said they caused so many damaging side effects that doctors would have to think hard about using them. Tony Moffat of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, who is on the steering committee for the trials of cannabinoids use in multiple sclerosis and pain relief funded by the Medical Research Council, said the papers were no reason to be dismayed; the trials had shown there was some effect in terms of pain relief. The MRC pain relief trials, which will begin next month, involve 400 patients who have had surgery in London hospitals. The multiple sclerosis trial involves 660 patients and is based in Derriford hospital, Plymouth. The first 20 patients have been treated with no adverse effects. A second set of trials is taking place, run by the commercial company GW Pharmaceuticals, which has developed a spray from the entire cannabis plant which is applied under the tongue. The company is already claiming great success and says using the whole plant gets better results than stripping it down to derivative cannabinoids. "In the last 18 months GW has carried out clinical trials in 75 patients suffering from multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, neuropathic pain, other intractable neurological conditions and rheumatoid arth ritis," said Philip Robson, the company's medical director. "We are seeing clinically significant improvements in a range of symptoms, including pain, muscle spasms, spasticity, bladder symptoms, tremor and overall improvements in quality of life. In some cases the improvement has been sufficient to transform lives." Note: Setback for calls to license pot, as derivatives cause side effects and prove less valuable than conventional drugs for pain relief. Source: Guardian Unlimited, The (UK) Related Articles & Web Sites: British Medical Journal Introduction To Cannabis-Based Medicines Cannabis 'No Better Than Codeine' for Headaches Pot of Gold - Daily Telegraph (UK) Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #8 posted by shmuelman on July 07, 2001 at 21:59:58 PT |
| The irony here is the comment "evidence which will dismay those who hope to see marijuana licensed as a medicine." Decrminalization and legalization seem to be a foregone conclusion in the UK. [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #7 posted by Robert Baston on July 06, 2001 at 21:59:30 PT:
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| I have been living in Finland for the last 10 years and it is like listening to those anti grass campaigns of the 50`s in the states when you talk to my generation ( I am british )of Finns.I believe that if the state owned marij the same as they own the alcohol and chemists here then there wouldn`t be a problem, by the way they have a huge alcohol problem here.I don`t smoke cig`s so should I have the right to get them outlawed( I wish) so to all you uptight people legalise it it doesn`t lead you to heavy drugs.Even the U.S.military in the early 80`s said that a person who drinks the night before and one who smokes the night before tthat the smoker can do their job but the drinker most likely can`t because of hangovers and their side effects i:e nausea headaches etc. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #6 posted by Doug on July 06, 2001 at 09:22:20 PT |
| What are all these horrendous side effect of this dread drug cannabis that everyone talks about? Oh My God, people actually feel better after having used this substance, how awful. It seems to me that cannabis is a relative innocuous drug compared to something even as wide-spread as alcohol, and as far as other, prescribed drugs are concerned, they all have an incredible list of side effects, try reading those papers with all the little print that are included with them some time. The only way they think they can get away with this BS is they figure that not that many people are familar with cannabis, so they can wave the red flag of side effects and scare people off. Unfortunately for them, more people are familar with cannabis than codeine. And why don't they ever talk to real live people who have used this substance medicinally. As another poster said, this is bildge. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #5 posted by FoM on July 06, 2001 at 08:31:32 PT |
| Hi Everyone, I'm looking for an article to post about GW Pharmaceuticals but here is the wire article until I find one. GW Pharmaceuticals Trials Show Cannabis Relieves MS, Arthritis Symptoms Release Date: Friday, July 06, 2001 GW Pharmaceuticals PLC said recent clinical trials have revealed that cannabis-based drugs can significantly relieve the symptoms of diseases such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. The company was responding to a paper, titled 'Are cannabinoids an effective and safe treatment option in the management of pain? A qualitative systematic review', to be published in tomorrow's issue of the British Medical Journal. The paper claims that there is scientific evidence to suggest that cannabis-based medicines are effective in treating neuropathic pain and spasticity, two of the principal symptoms of multiple sclerosis. GW said in the last 18 months it has carried out clinical trials in 75 patients suffering from multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, neuropathic pain, other intractable neurological conditions and rheumatoid arthritis. "Patients in these trials are clearly gaining benefit. We are seeing clinically significant improvements in a range of symptoms, including pain, muscle spasms, spasticity, bladder related symptoms, tremor and overall improvements in quality of life," it said. "In some cases the improvement has been sufficient to transform lives. These improvements are particularly notable in that they have occurred in a group of patients whose symptoms have been considered intractable in the face of all available standard therapy." GW said it agrees with the principal finding of the paper, that single dose THC should not be used in post-operative pain and is only as effective in treating this form of pain as codeine. The company pointed out that its lead products comprise whole plant extracts of cannabis incorporated in a sub lingual (under the tongue) spray and are quite distinct from the oral single tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) products referred to in the BMJ paper. Furthermore, GW's research programme has never focused on post-operative pain as a target market and the company's business plan does not include it as a source of potential revenue, it added. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #4 posted by jacksplace58 on July 06, 2001 at 06:54:45 PT |
| Almost everyone knows that "derivitives" such as manitol are nowhere near as effective as the whole plant. It is the combination of all the cannabinoids in conjuntion that are effective not just the THC or CBN's individually. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #3 posted by Lehder on July 06, 2001 at 05:15:40 PT |
| Thanks FoM for all the articles I read here, and thanks to all my friends here for your intelligent commentaries on the so-called war on drugs. And thanks for all the practice I've gotten here writing my own commentaries, more than a dozen of them now. I hope that the cool-headed observer will return soon with his relentless logic and facts. observer never loses sight of the basic issues of personal freedom and Constitution vs. oppression and Prison. This article seems to make an implied argument something like 'marijuana is not the best medicine for everything therefore the righteous drug wars must go on.' It's a specious proposition, quite beside the point, and I won't get caught up in it. I have managed, however, to pick a fight elsewhere. Here's what "good_bye_kisses" told me: Yeah, let's get people to do more drugs. We always here stories that when people are in the dumps, they always do better after taking a lot of drugs. Their productivity zooms and crime falls because drugs is not associated with crime or hepatitus. We should focus on more drug use so that we become a degenerate society. Are you sick? Now, clearly, 'kisses' cannot be helped; s/he can't even form a reasonable sentence. Now in replying, I did not write in the true style of 'Lehder' - that is reserved for ADVANCED HIPPIES LIKE DDDD all of you at cnews. But the point is that I have picked a forum for street fighting where s/his pathetic argument will be seen by many people who might not otherwise give much thought to the drug war, people who are likely to vote and who likely have money and influence. Many of you probably could have composed a rejoinder better than mine, but I did okay as cosmic_accelerator: And, after all the practice I've had here, it only took me a very few minutes to write. Useful as this site has been to me, it can get a bit incestuous, and I'm not sure that many people unfamiliar with the true nature of the war drop by. A few journalist, perhaps, as has been suggested, who are looking to steal ideas or amusing expressions - they're welcome to them, and I will have no compunction in stealing yours when fighting in the streets. I hope that observer is street fighting with someone somewhere, and that all of my pals here will or already go to other websites where we can make a difference among people who are still unwitting and who may never have heard the government's ugly war policies refuted. We can make a difference. Spread the word. And thanks again for all the practice. Without you I would still be a Zantac salesman in Medellin. PAZ [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #2 posted by April on July 06, 2001 at 05:12:36 PT:
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| Can anyone TELL me why marijuana is even ILLEGAL?? how people do ya'll know that go get high and go cause problems?? none that I know. but Beer and stuff like that cause anger problems, cause people to do stupid stuff like pull guns and ect. people that smoke don't even start to think that way. Yes Marijuan has a couple of DOWNFALLS, but nothing like Beer and Ect. so why not allow it, it isn't a big money thing, so the Goverment don't have to worry about it. Tax it like Cig's or Beer.. than no one gets in trouble. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by Robbie on July 05, 2001 at 22:07:53 PT |
Does anyone else see that this article is completely contradictory? There are several mentions of the damaging adverse effects of the cannabinoids, but the article doesnt mention them. None of them. It just states that the researchers said that there were those effects. Yet...they looked at trials that did not look at the effects of cannabinoids on MS sufferers, but there was visible evidence that cannabis helped them, even transformed their lives! But then... The researchers found that cannabinoids were no more effective than codeine tablets in controlling pain. They depressed the nervous system, which would limit their use. "Their widespread introduction into clinical practice for pain management is therefore undesirable. In acute postoperative pain they should not be used," the authors said. This same paragraph says that cannabinoids were no more effective than codeine tablets. AFAIK, codeine is quite effective for pain. How is "no more" effective a slam against cannabinoids? Then we have The MRC pain relief trials... The first 20 patients have been treated with no adverse effects. Where are the adverse effects that outweigh any benefits? Then there's the GW Pharm. spokesman who claims that using the whole plant is the most effective use of it (something us "legalizers" have known from the beginning.) I think GWP wants to corner the market on all this since I'm sure it costs $500 a milliliter to produce it that way. The conclusion of the article is that this "news" is a "setback." I think either the writer or the "studies" she espouses should be set-back. This article should be the poster-child for the legalize movement. [ Post Comment ] |
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