cannabisnews.com: Cannabis Trials Early Success Cannabis Trials Early Success Posted by FoM on November 04, 2001 at 13:52:40 PT Program News Source: BBC News The legalisation of cannabis for medicinal use has moved a step closer following promising early results from the world's first full commercial trial of the drug. The Home Secretary, David Blunkett, has already said that the law will be changed to allow its use as a prescription drug to treat painful conditions such as arthritis if current trials are successful. This week's Panorama reports exclusively on the trial in Oxford and the progress of three patients with multiple sclerosis who took part in it. The programme also talks to doctors about whether the trial could change the way we think about the drug. Jo, a reading tutor, is the worst affected of all the patients that were filmed. Human Guinea Pigs The wife of a school chaplain, she was an active young woman - in good health until the mid-Eighties. Now at 58, she is almost paralysed. She admits she was tempted to get cannabis illegally, but felt she had too much to lose because of her husband's job. She says: "I can just imagine what fun the local papers would have with 'School chaplain found hanging around pub wanting cannabis'. It just isn't worth it really." Tyrone, who also has MS, needs two carers and a winch to help him get up in the morning. He was diagnosed with the disease in 1980 and has now almost completely lost the use of his limbs . He hopes the trial will give him back a little dignity and allow him to feed himself properly. Improvement The third MS sufferer Panorama followed was Sandra from Banbury who has had the disease for 25 years and hopes that cannabis will help with tremors in her hands. Sandra, a mother of two, underwent a risky brain operation called a thalamotomy which helped restore normal movement in one hand. The trial involves the use of three sprays containing differing strengths of cannabis, as well as a placebo. All three guinea-pigs reported an improvement, and for Sandra the change was dramatic. She tells Panorama that the trial has meant "a whole new outlook on life". She adds: "Having a good night's sleep, painfree - and being able to feed myself breakfast, feed myself lunch, feed myself dinner, it makes me feel normal, which is all I'm asking. "Please, please give me the cannabis and let me feel normal." Dr Philip Robson, from GW Pharmaceuticals who ran the trial, says: "I think Sandra's very typical in the sense that all the patients have been very severely handicapped by the symptoms of their disorder which is usually multiple sclerosis. "And it's been striking that most people have had a positive response." "Wonder Drug" Professor Lester Grinspoon from Harvard Medical School says: "I think that cannabis is very likely eventually to be seen as a wonder drug of the twenty-first century." But people with conditions like schizophrenia or heart problems may be put at risk by using cannabis. Tyrone had high blood pressure that delayed his start on the trials. The Oxford pharmacologist, Baroness Susan Greenfield, sounds a note of caution. She tells Panorama: "My concerns are not so much for the patients because if they are having help and it's working, that's marvellous and I would hope that no one would stop that happening. "My concerns are how those data are interpreted. If people think this is giving them a green light to just go and get high indiscriminately. "I hope that enough floor space is given to actually ventilate the scientific arguments for and against so that we really draw a clear distinction between a medicine and a drug of abuse." Watch Cannabis from the chemist on Sunday at 2215 GMT on BBC1 or via a live stream on this site. Source: BBC News (UK Web)Published: Sunday, November 4, 2001Copyright: 2001 BBC Website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/ Contact: http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/talking_point/Related Articles & Web Sites:UK Medicinal Cannabis Projecthttp://www.medicinal-cannabis.org/Medical Marijuana Information Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htmCannabis a Medical Miracle - It's Official http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11254.shtmlCannabis - The Patient's Painkiller http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11164.shtmlPanomrama - Cannabis from the Chemist - 5:15 PM EST http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/audiovideo/programmes/panorama/ Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #7 posted by FoM on November 06, 2001 at 19:52:45 PT Philip Robson on Cannabis Trials - Highlights Highlights of The Interview: Philip Robson on Cannabis TrialsThe legalisation of cannabis for medicinal use has moved a step closer following promising results in trials. Philip Robson, Medical Director of the trial, answered your questions in a live forum. DL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/audiovideo/programmes/panorama/newsid_1635000/1635134.stm [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by FoM on November 05, 2001 at 15:45:06 PT Real Video - BBC Forum with Dr. Philip Robson http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/cta/progs/01/forums/panorama/cannabis05nov.ram [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Ethan Russo MD on November 05, 2001 at 06:27:30 PT: BBC Forum on Now Any minute now, the BBC forum with Dr. Philip Robson will begin. He is the lead investigator in GW Pharmaceutical cannabis extract trials (and a noted blues guitarist):http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/audiovideo/programmes/panorama/newsid_1635000/1635134.stmPlease enjoy. I cannot view it due to the hospital's firewall. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by goneposthole on November 04, 2001 at 22:39:05 PT greenlight My concerns are how those data are interpreted. If people think this is giving them a greenlight to just go and get high indiscriminately. - Susan Greenfield Well, it certainly is no red light.If some hikers came across some water hemlock thinking it is celery, sample it and then die several hours later, that would be a red light. The data would not support ingesting water hemlock.So, yes, I do think that this is a green light and, yes, I think they will go get high, even indiscriminately.Lots of people do just that very thing, by the millions, poor, rich, well known or not.People do know what is good for them, and no one is going to tell them otherwise.Besides, it is a lot of fun, too!Woo hoo [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on November 04, 2001 at 14:24:12 PT Cannabis from the Chemist - Real Video Link http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/cta/progs/panorama/latest.ram [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on November 04, 2001 at 13:57:58 PT Ask Your Questions Now! Ask Philip Robson The legalisation of cannabis for medicinal use has moved a step closer following promising results in trials. Philip Robson, Medical Director of the trial, answers your questions in a live forum on Monday at 1430 GMT. Panorama reports exclusively on the progress of three patients with multiple sclerosis who took part in world's first full commercial trial of cannabis. Will the trial change the way we think about cannabis? What are the risks associated with using the drug? Submit you questions for Philip Robson now by using the form below. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/audiovideo/programmes/panorama/newsid_1635000/1635134.stm [ Post Comment ] Post Comment