Posted on 08/21/2002 11:54:00 AM PDT by aculeus
Scientists have developed a cannabis-based medicine which relieves chronic pain without any of the "high" normally associated with the drug.
They believe the discovery could pave the way for cannabis-based medication to become available by prescription within two years.
Much of the controversy surrounding the medicinal use of cannabis has centred on fears that it would be used solely for its mood-altering effects.
However, scientists at the University of Massachusetts in the United States say their discovery should help authorities to overcome these fears.
Dr Sumner Burstein and colleagues say early trials of the medication in animals and healthy patients have been promising.
The medication, called ajulemic acid or CT3, has been manufactured in laboratories.
It maximises the medicinal effects of tertrahydrocannabinol - the key ingredient of cannabis - without any of the mind-altering effects.
'More effective'
In animal tests, this compound was found to be between 10 to 50 times more effective at reducing pain than tetrahydrocannabinol.
Those tests showed that ajulemic acid was very effective at preventing the joint damage associated with arthritis and relieving the muscle stiffness associated with multiple sclerosis.
The compound was tested last year in 15 healthy volunteers in France. That study reported no side effects or mood changes in those participants.
A further trial on 21 patients with chronic severe pain is currently underway in Germany.
Dr Bernstein said the results of each study had been promising.
"The indications so far are that it is safe and effective," he said.
Dr Bernstein added that the compound could replace a wide variety of current medicines used to fight pain.
"We believe that [the compound] will replace aspirin and similar drugs in most applications primarily because of a lack of toxic side effects."
Dr Bernstein acknowledged that some patients may wish to experience the mood-altering effects of cannabis by taking this compound.
But speaking at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston, he added: "The medical community wants efficacy without this effect."
A spokeswoman for the UK's Medicinal Cannabis Research Foundation said: "We believe it would be premature to comment on the merits of ajulemic acid before more rigorous testing in patients has been carried out, but look forward to seeing the results after further study."
You're right.
They just want to be able to smoke it, period.
I don't. Never have, never will.
I have nothing against medical use of pot, but I do against legalization along the lines of alcohol.
Do you think we should return to the prohibition of alcohol?
Yes, there are a lot of pain-killers around. And my husband can't take any of them because they tear up his stomach. My daughter is also sensitive to many of them.
Something new, without all the negative side effects of what's already out there, could be wonderful for those that need it.
“Every one of the bastards that are out for legalizing marijuana is Jewish,” Nixon told chief of staff H.R. Haldeman on May 26, 1971. “What the Christ is the matter with the Jews, Bob?… I suppose it’s because most of them are psychiatrists.”
Isn't nice to know how rational the Drug Warrior is in his heart of hearts?
No alcohol? I shudder at the thought... ;)
More seriously, it does seem to help without knocking me down the way Tylenol #3 always did. The only thing I've found for me that can reliably trigger it are foods with large amounts of MSG, but I still get them from time to time without that...
I did tell you this before.
But wait - according to you it was reported *everywhere*. Certainly, every single news site doesn't charge for it's archived material.
I have an office subscription to Nexis. Do you want me to go check for alllllll of the news stories that mention that "the mercury in the ground where pot is grown is going to cause pot smokers to get sick and die"?
Or do you want to be a man and admit you lied?
Cool beans. Two questions: is it addictive at all? And will it cause patients to fail drug tests for marijuana? (I ask the latter mostly to frost the drug warriors.)
Wow, I didn't realise I was dealing with F. Lee Bailey here. You really know your finer points of law, I see. Very impressive.
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