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 CANNABIS TO BE FREE ON NHS Mon Feb 18 2002 00:50:29 UTC LONDON -- Cannabis could be prescribed as a pain-relief treatment to NHS patients within two years. The Government's clinical watchdog is to study the medical use of cannabis in a move which could see the drug prescribed as a painkiller, it was announced today. Health Minister Lord Hunt said that the use of cannabis derivatives to relieve pain in multiple sclerosis sufferers and post-operative patients was being referred to the National Institute of Clinical Excellence. "If these pharmaceuticals are licensed for medical use, it is of critical importance that Nice guidance is in place for the clinicians who will have to make decisions about their use," he said. Trials funded by the Medical Research Council - with the backing of the Department of Health and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society - to assess the use of cannabinoids in providing pain relief are already under way. The results are expected by the end of the year and will be used by Nice in carrying out its appraisal of the drugs. A decision on whether any of the cannabis derivatives being tested will be licensed for official medical use is thought "likely" some time in 2004 or 2005. If they do receive a licence the DoH said that the NHS would need "timely and clear guidance" from NICE on the clinical and cost effectiveness of the treatments. |
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