T
The420Guy
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Mar. 1, 00
Express (UK)
Copyright: 2000 The Express
Author: Michael Hanlon, science editor
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PROOF THAT CANNABIS EASES MS- Scientists have proved that chemicals in cannabis can help ease the agony of multiple sclerosis victims. The findings by British researchers will boost calls to legalise the drug for medicinal use. A three-year trial into the benefits of "cannabinoids" in marijuana starts next month. Tests on mice with their equivalent of MS showed painful muscle spasms ceased "in less than one minute", after taking cannabinoids. Opponents of cannabis legalisation have always claimed evidence the drug could help MS sufferers was anecdotal. But Lorna Layward, immunologist and head of research at the MS Society of Great Britain and Northern Ireland showed in this week's journal Nature that cannabinoids have a strong effect on early symptoms of MS. "This is the first hard scientific evidence that cannabis can control some of the horrible symptoms of MS," she said. "The pain from muscle spasms can be excruciating. These are highly distressing symptoms and cannot be adequately controlled, so people are pressed to use an illegal drug." She believes Parkinson's and motor neurone disease sufferers could be helped, too.Dr Layward said she was not calling for cannabis legalisation but hoped experiments would enable scientists to isolate its beneficial chemicals so people "can move away from using the whole plant, with all its undesirable side effects".
Express (UK)
Copyright: 2000 The Express
Author: Michael Hanlon, science editor
****
PROOF THAT CANNABIS EASES MS- Scientists have proved that chemicals in cannabis can help ease the agony of multiple sclerosis victims. The findings by British researchers will boost calls to legalise the drug for medicinal use. A three-year trial into the benefits of "cannabinoids" in marijuana starts next month. Tests on mice with their equivalent of MS showed painful muscle spasms ceased "in less than one minute", after taking cannabinoids. Opponents of cannabis legalisation have always claimed evidence the drug could help MS sufferers was anecdotal. But Lorna Layward, immunologist and head of research at the MS Society of Great Britain and Northern Ireland showed in this week's journal Nature that cannabinoids have a strong effect on early symptoms of MS. "This is the first hard scientific evidence that cannabis can control some of the horrible symptoms of MS," she said. "The pain from muscle spasms can be excruciating. These are highly distressing symptoms and cannot be adequately controlled, so people are pressed to use an illegal drug." She believes Parkinson's and motor neurone disease sufferers could be helped, too.Dr Layward said she was not calling for cannabis legalisation but hoped experiments would enable scientists to isolate its beneficial chemicals so people "can move away from using the whole plant, with all its undesirable side effects".
