Pubdate: Wed, 20 Aug 2003
Source: Guardian, The (UK)
Copyright: 2003 Guardian Newspapers Limited
Contact:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardian/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/175
Author: Press Association
Cited: Imperial College London, http://www.ic.ac.uk/
Cited: Medical Research Council  http://www.mrc.ac.uk
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?207 (Cannabis - United Kingdom)

CANNABIS ON TRIAL FOR PAIN RELIEF

Cannabis is to be used to treat pain relief after surgery in 35
hospitals across the country under a government-funded experiment.
Around 400 patients scheduled to undergo surgery are being asked to
take part in the trials to measure the effects of cannabis plant
extract against other pain-relieving drugs.

Each patient will be randomly assigned to one of four oral pain
relieving treatments containing either standardised cannabis extract,
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, an active ingredient in cannabis), a
standard pain-relieving drug, or a placebo. The pain relief and side
effects will be assessed over a six-hour period with patients being
asked to respond to questions about their pain and feelings. The UKP
500,000 study for the medical research council is being led by Dr
Anita Holdcroft from Imperial College, London.

She said that anecdotal evidence suggesting cannabis could provide
effective pain relief for a variety of debilitating conditions needed
to be assessed scientifically. "My patients and clinicians want an
answer to the question of whether cannabis is effective at relieving
pain," she said. "We need to assess the scientific merits of some of
the anecdotal evidence and we need to do this in the same way as any
other experimental pain treatment."

She added that if oral cannabis plant extract was found to be
effective and without adverse side effects, it could provide another
pain relief option to doctors and patients.

The MRC confirmed that the hospitals currently signed up to take part
in the trial are: Chelsea and Westminster, London Charing Cross,
London Hammersmith, London Ravenscourt Park, London Barts and the
Royal London, London The Middlesex UCLH, London The Manor, Walsall,
West Midlands Ealing Hospital, London Hillingdon Hospital, London West
Middlesex, Middlesex The Whittington, London Royal United Hospital,
Bath St John's Hospital, Livingston, Lothian Royal Victoria Hospital,
Belfast City Hospital, Nottingham Queen Victoria Hospital, East
Grinstead, West Sussex Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital York District
Hospital Southampton General Derriford Hospital, Plymouth Wexham
Hospital, Slough, Berkshire Wrexham Maelor, North Wales Glasgow
Gartnavel Whipps Cross, London Luton and Dunstable Hospital,
Bedfordshire The Lister Hospital, Stevenage, Hertfordshire Stirling
Royal Infirmary, Falkirk and District Royal Infirmary Victoria
Infirmary, Glasgow Blackpool Victoria Hospital Princess Alexandra,
Harlow, Essex Royal Liverpool University Hospital Southmead Hospital,
Bristol James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough Ipswich
Hospital, Suffolk 
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