 | UK med-mj research: Cannabis on trial for pain relief |
 The Guardian, UK
Wednesday 20 August 2003
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 £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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