Is the research in slow pace on this ? ....
Tuesday, 21 March, 2000, 11:35 GMT
Cannabis: The debate
Cannabis: A controversial drug with some beneficial
effects
The debate over the use of cannabis in
medicine is highly controverisal and emotive.
Supporters of the drug claim it has
wide-ranging benefits, but opponents of
legalisation say it is a potentially dangerous
substance that can actually damage health.
There is scientific evidence to suggest that
cannabis may be useful in treating a wide
range of conditions.
And wide-scale trials testing the safety and
efficacy of cannabis extracts are currently
underway in the UK and elsewhere.
For instance, cannabis appears to be able to
help reduce the side effects of chemotherapy
treatment given to cancer patients.
The drugs used to treat cancer are among the
most powerful, and most toxic, chemicals used
in medicine. They produce unpleasant side
effects, such as days or weeks of vomiting and
nausea after each treatment.
Cannabis is an antiemetic, a drug that relieves
nausea and allows patients to eat and live
normally.
Extracts also seem to benefit patients
suffering from multiple sclerosis, stopping
muscle spasms, and reducing tremors.
In the USA, the Food and Drug Administration
has approved the oral use of dronabinol, a
cannabis derivative, for people with Aids.
There is evidence that cannabis may stimulate
the appetites of Aids patients with wasting
disease.
It may also help relieve the pain of menstrual
cramps and childbirth.
Campaigners claim the drug is useful in treating
depression and other mood disorders.
Cannabis analogues have been shown to
prevent seizures in epileptic patients when
given in combination with prescription drugs.
The drug can also help in the treatment of
patients suffering from glaucoma, one of the
commonest causes of blindness, by reducing
fluid pressure in the eye.
Claims have also been made for its use in
treating asthma, strokes, Parkinson's Disease,
Alzheimer's Disease, alcoholism and insomnia.
However, opponents of the use of cannabis
point to the fact that it damages the ability to
concentrate.
There are other side effects of the drug, but
they vary considerably and are highly
unpredictable, partly because cannabis has
more than 400 active ingredients.
A report by the House of Lords Science and
Technology Committee recommended the use
of cannabis for medicinal purposes.
Doctors are doubtful
But the British Medical
Association (BMA) did
not give the report
100% support.
The BMA believes only
cannabinoids - part of
the cannabis plant -
should be used in
medicine.
Cannabinoids are the
active ingredients of
cannabis. The BMA
says crude cannabis
contains many toxic ingredients as well.
It is also worried about how cannabis will be
prescribed, saying that smoking the drug is
harmful to health.
It wants to see the development of "targeted
medicines" using cannabinoids.
The government says it will not consider
legalising cannabis for medical use until clinical
trials had been completed.
--
Cheers,
Joao Paulo - Salvador,BA,Brazil
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