CANNABIS ON TRIAL

[Guest THE PUFFER]

CANNABIS  ON  TRIAL

(Wall J ET al (2001) Cannabis: its therapeutic use Nursing Standard.16, 10,39-44 Date of Acceptance Sep 26 2001

Cannabis: its therapeutic use

Summary

This article provides an overview of the issues surrounding the use of cannabis for therapeutic purposes. Examples of some of the ethical issues related to professional practice are discussed.

In the U.K, cannabis (or marijuana) has been classed as a schedule 1 drug under the 1965 Misuse of Drugs Act since 1971. It has been categorised as dangerous and of no therapeutic value. However, on October 23 2001, the home secretary announced that cannabis was to be re-categorised from a class B to a class C drug early next year.

These classifications are based on the Misuse of Drug (Regulations) Act of 1985, which defines in five schedules the law regarding the prescription, supply and storage of different drugs. This proposed change of cannabis classification reflects the governments' intention to legalise the prescription of cannabis on a named patient basis, should clinical trials currently under way prove, as is widely expected, to demonstrate therapeutic effects.

Mr Blunkett stated that once successful clinical trials have been completed, the government would allow it to be used for medicinal purposes. Use of cannabis will remain illegal, but possession of small quantities will no longer be an arrestable offence.

The therapeutic effects have long been documented…from literature as early as 5th Century B.C. to Queen Victoria using cannabis for pre-menstrual syndrome. In addition  t.h.c. has been isolated and synthesised to produce Nabilone (cannabinoid). Nabilone was licensed in the U.K in 1985, on a named patient basis, as an antiemetic (stop nausea) for people receiving chemotherapy.

Some people with conditions such as MS, spinal injury and arthritis use cannabis to alleviate their symptoms and improve their quality of life. However, these people use cannabis without knowing which of the 60 known cannabinoids is effective. Little is known about the actual potency of cannabis, which has increased since the 1960s with improved cultivation methods. This means that people take cannabis of unknown quantity and quality, which could have lasting effects on their future quality of life.

The government has several complex issues to debate when considering changes in the law regarding cannabis use. Perhaps the most challenging relates to the distinction between therapeutic and recreational use of the drug. A recent statistical bulletin reported 55% of 16-24 year olds used cannabis in the last year for recreational purposes, 30% of a sample of junior doctors tried cannabis.

From 1989 to 1998 there was a threefold increase in police seizures for possession or supply, from 44,000 to 118,000. Interestingly the figure fell in 1999 100,000.

According to the Criminal Law Act 1977, it is illegal to supply, produce, cultivate, be in possession of, or allow any premises to be used for cultivation of cannabis. The laws in the rest of Europe vary, for example, in France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Sweden and Denmark it is illegal, while in the Netherlands, cannabis is sold in identified bars and coffee shops. These shops are only allowed to sell 5 gram per client.

The following case highlights the problems one family experienced…..

….***** was a healthy young man who travelled abroad on business. He had his own house and enjoyed playing sport and entertaining his friends. In 1987, aged 22, ***** was diagnosed with MS. By 1989, he had lost his job. His self- esteem was affected as he unsuccessfully tried various jobs. During this time he began to use cannabis, supplied by friends, to relieve his pain, spasms and muscle cramps. James house was repossessed after he accrued debts, which meant he had to live with his parents. He maintained his supply of cannabis by setting up a hydroponics system in his parents loft.

Having become to dependant on his parents, ***** moved into a specially adapted bungalow so he could regain some independence and could continue to grow cannabis. However, he became to ill and had to revert to purchasing an external supply, purchased covertly by his parents. According to ***** parents ' cannabis was the only drug that gave him pain relief, despite having morphine elixir, which was prescribed by his GP

***** died of MS aged 34.

HUMAN RIGHTS

***** argued that he was denied a service or treatment that he and his family believed to be beneficial. He was not given balanced, relevant information on the benefits and side effects of cannabis use at a time when he needed to make informed choices. It is possible to suggest that under current legislation this could have been a breach of the Human Rights Act 1998. There is a wealth of anecdotal and small-scale research on the therapeutic value on cannabis. For people like *****, there remains an absence of evidence in the form of randomised controlled trials (RCT) to offer an objective and systematic evaluation of the drug.  Until current RCTs involving nearly 700 people are completed and fully analysed, this situation will continue and people like ***** will use cannabis in an unregulated, unprotected way.

Facts

* Between 3 - 10 % of people with MS in the UK use cannabis

* There are 6,000 references investigating cannabinoids on Medicine from 1966 - 2001 but only 24 refer to the therapeutic use of cannabinoids in the management of MS

* Cost has financial consequences for users on a low income (especially for people who cannot work because of their condition)

Conclusion

At present families and friends often support patients in taking cannabis when it is perceived to relieve their pain and discomfort and improve their quality of life, even when this means breaking the law. With a lack of large, multi-centre placebo controlled trials on a known quantity and quality of cannabis, many of the reported advantages and disadvantages (* see topic Advantages/Disadvantages*) cannot be qualified. Clients will, therefore, continue to take cannabis that varies in strength, quality and efficiency, which could put them at risk.

Current laws and the Human Rights Act 1998 do not support the therapeutic use of cannabis.

PEACE

[Guest THE PUFFER]

Oiy ya bastards :sarcasm: it took me two hours to copy and type this out....so read it

[the d.o.c]

nice one puffer ,lots of good info there

it just goes to show that "******" who ever he was , because of the ignorance of goverments of today obviously needed more help than he was getting be it with medicine or living,

since being diagnosed with MS he lost everything he had ,accrued lots of debt and had to rely on turning his parents into criminals so he could get medicine

what the fu@k are the people who govern us looking at when this mans live went down the tube

dont they realise this is the norm and not the unusuall

:curse: governments

[Arnold Layne]

Makes me kind of angry sometimes......

Any day now, we shall be released!

[Guest THE PUFFER]

:peace: Turn your anger into a positive energy and use it to find the key Luke  

[Guest earthgodess]

[musicalgrant]

It is illegal to grow? Still after all this time we have to suffer the pain of our conditions, because of the law..........i dont know if it works work it I say! Been through too much pain now to care about legalities.........I havnt done anything illegal since i was 19 and because of my condition i really want to try MJ to see if it helps, the pills im on are very strong and id do anything for a better life...

I hope they come to their senses soon.

Thanks for the info much appreciated...

By the way what is the sentence for growing ur own?

Peace to ya all

[Arnold Layne]

High there Musicalgrant,

Yep it is illegal to grow, and in theory you can pull quite a stretch. But the reality is that medicinal growers are not "targetted", rarely busted and usually get either a "not guilty" result or a piffling sentence. BUT, there are exceptions. Lunacy? Yes! Evil? definately!

May I ask what pills you are on, and what exactly your symptoms are? EG, is the pain muscular, or neurological? It'll help answer your question about the efficacy of weed better.

[musicalgrant]

Hi Sorru for the late reply still finding out how to use yhis forum stuff...

Im on Co-Dydromol, Celebrex, and Amitriptiline l(low dosage, apperently it is a good painkiller)...

What kind of pain, Well i have a narrowing of the disks 1 and 4 and they trap the nerves that then swell, and in the worst case severe pain, a nerve pain that travells into my eyes and around my head and into my hands and arms., and i cant do anything until it decides to ease off (which has lasted as long as 7 hours and no pain killer could mask it), pheeww and it is such a relief when it doesgo.

At the moment the pain is going through a good phase, 2 days ago was agony, it comes and goes when it likes...Im out of work at the moment so i can loook after it much better, as work does tend to make it worse.

Peace and good health :-)

[Arnold Layne]

To be quite honest M8 I'd bin that amytriptylene {sp?} - ugly damned stuff.

I suspect you might find Accupuncture much more effective.......

Plus a herbal regime

Know how you feel though, I have totally degenerated discs throughout the cervical region. Tends to get me in the back of the head, and sides, plus down the arms etc.

[musicalgrant]

So you have tried Amatriptilyne as well? I find it makes me feel totally brain dead in the morning when i wake uip, Im not taking the dosage the doctor perscribed which was three pills a night, I feel too yuk the next morning, as apposed to the weed it seems to knock me out if i have one at 9pm till i go to sleep and then i wake up feeling ok the next morning.....Maybe this bud stuff does work...It definitly kills the pain, as iv discovered i can sit down in the evening now and watch TV(), whereas before i couldnt sit still for very long without the pain kicking in.

Ive discovered moderation with the bud is what i need to practice as it does totally blow my head off if im not careful....

Thanks for your replies, i will try some acupuncure ive tried everything else, physio, osteopath, spiritual healing, pain killers, anti inflammatories ( my stomach cant take even aspirin now they have messed me tummy up real bad)...

Why is amatripitilyne bad?

Peace and Good Health:-)

[Vlad (the impala)]

caveat about acupuncture! - imho it is probably the most potent and effective system of medicine in existence, but for god's sake, go for the real thing - "Traditional Chinese Acupuncture" - as used in pain clinics by "amateurs" it can be downright dangerous (if you want chapter and verse on acupuncture - do a board search for "acupuncture" - I've rattled on about it ad nauseam) - it really works, go for it mate!

[Arnold Layne]

I agree with farmweb, you must go for the real thing, even if it is a tad expensive.

Further caveat; It is very strong in effects. Also, it is possible to react badly, as I have done the last couple of times. By this I mean that I had severely increased pain for about 3 days...... BUT........ this is always {IME} followed by a surge in huge relief that is normally of several weeks duration.

Amytrypt: Like you say m8, it kills your brain the next day. Its real use is in Psychiatry, where it is a potent "Chemical Cosh", IE a heavy-duty tranquilliser. Its has been given to you for two reasons, first - it relaxes muscles {but so does weed}, and secondly because the assumtion is your pain has depressed you and so "out with the cosh".

You get better value, and no evil side-effects, from weed, and St. John's Wort.

But then, the Pharmaceutical companies would get no money from you. Can't have that, now, can we?

[IrieParker]

Yuck the Amiltrip hang over...I'd rather be in pain! I ditched it for weed about eight years ago and can get things done in the morning now. Can anyone recommend the BEST seed for persistant muscle spasms and hypersensitive sensation. Ive been taking Dantrium and Backlofen for years and just recieved Medi Grow Rights. Basically looking for a good strain to wean me off this chemical

IrieParker

[Arnold Layne]

Hello IP - welcome to UK420,

The old "What Strain" question, huh? Well, how many answers would you like? No, seriously M8, I believe the beauty of MJ is that it has so many variant THC profiles. Some peeps prefer this, others that, others a bit of something different. Consensus opinion would say "Go Indica", and two years ago I would have agreed. Now me not so sure. I find Sat/Indica hybrids best for meds, and am slowly inclining more toward the sativa side.

I use weed to deal with a range of symptoms including muscle spasms, Restless Leg Syndrome, and partial loss of mobility