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Posted on Oct 13, 2002, 5 a.m.
By Bill Freeman
Delegates at the 10th World Congress on Pain in San Diego, California, have been told that marijuana is an effective drug for people suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) as it helps to reduce the pain and muscle spasms caused by the disease. Dr MS Chong, a neurologist at King's College Hospital, in London, and his colleagues found that 43% of 100 patients involved in the study had used marijuana, 53% of which said they only started using the drug after they were diagnosed with MS.
Delegates at the 10th World Congress on Pain in San Diego, California, have been told that marijuana is an effective drug for people suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) as it helps to reduce the pain and muscle spasms caused by the disease. Dr MS Chong, a neurologist at King's College Hospital, in London, and his colleagues found that 43% of 100 patients involved in the study had used marijuana, 53% of which said they only started using the drug after they were diagnosed with MS. Of the 57% of MS patients who did not use marijuana, an overwhelming 76% said they would happily take the drug if it were legalized. The study also revealed that roughly half of the 43% patients who had tried marijuana were still using it on a regular basis - simply because it helped to reduce the symptoms of their disease. Nearly 75% of current users said it helped to reduce their muscle spasms, and more than half said it was effective at relieving pain.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Reported by www.reutershealth.com on the 19th August 2002
