from the Staffordshire Sentinel Multiple sclerosis patients in Staffordshire and Cheshire have completed a research project which could force the Government to make cannabis legal for sufferers all over the UK. They are under the care of the University Hospital of North Staffordshire which is one of six centres in Britain leading the study to see if the banned drug can ease their pain. For the past year, 19 patients have been taking up to 10 capsules a day without being told if they contain the drug or a placebo - a substitute with no active ingredients. Doctors examined the "guinea pigs" every few weeks to look for any improvement in symptoms such a muscle stiffness and lack of movement. Now the trial has ended, the results from all the lead centres - plus 24 smaller hospitals involved - are being collected and analysed by experts behind what is the first research of its kind. They will be double-checked by objective referees before being published towards the end of the year. MS sufferers have long admitted illegally buying cannabis from dealers because they are convinced it brings relief. But until now all the evidence has been anecdotal and Ministers refused to make it available in purely medical circumstances. Following years of lobbying by both patients and doctors, however, the Government authorised the research and allowed cannabis plants to be grown at secret locations under tight security to be given patients. Dr Clive Hawkins, consultant neurologist at the Hartshill hospital and an adviser to Whitehall, said: "These are really exciting times and everyone is waiting with baited breath to see what answers this research brings. "If it does produce evidence of benefits to patients, it will throw up some challenging issues for Ministers as we move into the winter. "I am delighted this hospital and our patients have been involved in something as important and potentially historic as this." Patients had to agree not to drive during the trial because of potential drowsiness. A Home Office licence was needed in each case and the patients carried special ID cards to protect them from prosecution for possession if stopped by the police. They were banned from travelling abroad during the year because their criminal immunity covered only Britain. Researcher Dr Emma Pye said: "Some people declined to take part because they feared they might have been on the placebo and so would have been taking nothing to control symptoms. "But despite the restrictions, there was a very small drop-out rate. The patients are those with the most severe symptoms of all MS sufferers and included some in wheelchairs. They are from Staffordshire, South Cheshire and Shropshire. "They all felt they had benefited from getting more intensive medical supervision than they would normally expect and a few said they felt spaced out without possibly knowing what group they were in." The cannabis-takers themselves were split into sub-groups - one taking pure tetrahydrocannaboil which is its active chemical and the other given capsules with the drug in its crude form. That is to see if there are other substances in cannabis which also work. The patients will eventually be told which group they were in.
Weedboss got that info word for word off overgrow.com and i think one of his pic posts as did i. keep it real
Here's another article related to MS. Pot Inhibits Neurodegeneration In Animal Model Of MS, Study Says July 30, 2003 - London, United Kingdom London, United Kingdom: Cannabinoids and the cannabinoid receptor system offer neuroprotection against allergic encephalo myelitis (EAE), an animal model of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), according to findings published in the July 22, 2003 issue of the journal Brain. Scientists at London's Institute of Neurology determined that mice deficient in the cannabinoid receptor CB1 developed "substantial neurodegeneration" as a result of EAE Researchers also noted that "exogenous CB1 agonists (agents that bind to the receptor, such as THC) can provide significant neuroprotection from the consequences of inflammatory CNS disease in an experimental ... model." Authors concluded: "Therefore, in addition to symptom management, cannabis may also slow down the neurodegenerative processes that ultimately lead to chronic disability in multiple sclerosis and probably other diseases." Multiple sclerosis is believed to be a neurodegenerative disease that is triggered by an inflammatory attack of the central nervous system. Although several previous human studies have demonstrated that marijuana may provide symptomatic relief to common symptoms of MS such as muscle spasms, depression and incontinence, the U.K. study is one of the first to indicate that cannabinoids may potentially stave the onset of the disease. A previous study published in the May 6, 2003 issue of the journal NeuroReport similarly noted that "cannabinoids could provide neuroprotection" and "modify neurodegeneration in Huntington's disease." For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500. Abstracts of both studies, "Cannabinoids inhibit neurodegeneration in models of multiple sclerosis" and "Effects of cannabinoids in the rat model of Huntington's disease generated by an intrastriatal injection of malonate," are available online via the PubMed search engine at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/ updated: Jul 30, 2003 Pot Inhibits Neurodegeneration In Animal Model Of MS, Study Says July 30, 2003 - London, United Kingdom London, United Kingdom: Cannabinoids and the cannabinoid receptor system offer neuroprotection against allergic encephalo myelitis (EAE), an animal model of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), according to findings published in the July 22, 2003 issue of the journal Brain. Scientists at London's Institute of Neurology determined that mice deficient in the cannabinoid receptor CB1 developed "substantial neurodegeneration" as a result of EAE Researchers also noted that "exogenous CB1 agonists (agents that bind to the receptor, such as THC) can provide significant neuroprotection from the consequences of inflammatory CNS disease in an experimental ... model." Authors concluded: "Therefore, in addition to symptom management, cannabis may also slow down the neurodegenerative processes that ultimately lead to chronic disability in multiple sclerosis and probably other diseases." Multiple sclerosis is believed to be a neurodegenerative disease that is triggered by an inflammatory attack of the central nervous system. Although several previous human studies have demonstrated that marijuana may provide symptomatic relief to common symptoms of MS such as muscle spasms, depression and incontinence, the U.K. study is one of the first to indicate that cannabinoids may potentially stave the onset of the disease. A previous study published in the May 6, 2003 issue of the journal NeuroReport similarly noted that "cannabinoids could provide neuroprotection" and "modify neurodegeneration in Huntington's disease." For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500. Abstracts of both studies, "Cannabinoids inhibit neurodegeneration in models of multiple sclerosis" and "Effects of cannabinoids in the rat model of Huntington's disease generated by an intrastriatal injection of malonate," are available online via the PubMed search engine at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/ updated: Jul 30, 2003 Pot Inhibits Neurodegeneration In Animal Model Of MS, Study Says July 30, 2003 - London, United Kingdom London, United Kingdom: Cannabinoids and the cannabinoid receptor system offer neuroprotection against allergic encephalo myelitis (EAE), an animal model of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), according to findings published in the July 22, 2003 issue of the journal Brain. Scientists at London's Institute of Neurology determined that mice deficient in the cannabinoid receptor CB1 developed "substantial neurodegeneration" as a result of EAE Researchers also noted that "exogenous CB1 agonists (agents that bind to the receptor, such as THC) can provide significant neuroprotection from the consequences of inflammatory CNS disease in an experimental ... model." Authors concluded: "Therefore, in addition to symptom management, cannabis may also slow down the neurodegenerative processes that ultimately lead to chronic disability in multiple sclerosis and probably other diseases." Multiple sclerosis is believed to be a neurodegenerative disease that is triggered by an inflammatory attack of the central nervous system. Although several previous human studies have demonstrated that marijuana may provide symptomatic relief to common symptoms of MS such as muscle spasms, depression and incontinence, the U.K. study is one of the first to indicate that cannabinoids may potentially stave the onset of the disease. A previous study published in the May 6, 2003 issue of the journal NeuroReport similarly noted that "cannabinoids could provide neuroprotection" and "modify neurodegeneration in Huntington's disease." For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500. Abstracts of both studies, "Cannabinoids inhibit neurodegeneration in models of multiple sclerosis" and "Effects of cannabinoids in the rat model of Huntington's disease generated by an intrastriatal injection of malonate," are available online via the PubMed search engine at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/ updated: Jul 30, 2003 http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5719