Medical Marijuana: National Multiple Sclerosis Society to Fund Study 6/23/06

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In what could be the first sign of a course reversal by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, which has scoffed at medical marijuana in the past, the group announced this week that it will fund a study on the effect of marijuana on spasticity in MS patients. While the Society acknowledges that up to 15% of MS patients use medical marijuana, funding the new study is the first time the group has indicated it is hearing what those patients are saying.

The society currently rejects the use of marijuana to relieve MS symptoms. As it notes on its web site, "Based on the studies to date, it is the opinion of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's Medical Advisory Board that there are currently insufficient data to recommend marijuana or its derivatives as a treatment for MS. Long-term use of marijuana may be associated with significant serious side effects. In addition, other well-tested, FDA-approved drugs are available, such as baclofen and tizanidine, to reduce spasticity in MS."

The Society said it was moved by inconclusive earlier studies on the effect of marijuana on MS spasticity to fund a one using a new measure. The study is not a new one; the group is taking over funding for ongoing research at the University of California Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, which lost funding when the investigation was only partially completed.

The study, by Dr. Mark Agius and fellow researchers at the University of California-Davis School of Medicine, is scheduled for completion in March 2008.

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Issue #441 -- 6/23/06

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Editorial: Unintended Consequences | Feature: Move to Block DEA Medical Marijuana Raids Heads for House Floor Vote Next Week | Feature: Look for More No-Knock Drug Raids, More Collateral Damage in Wake of Supreme Court Ruling, Experts Warn | DRCNet Review Essay: Over the Transom -- Modern Day Pamphleteers Address the Drug War | Offer and Appeal: Important New Legalization Video and Drug War Facts Book Available | Book Offer: Burning Rainbow Farm: How a Stoner Utopia Went up in Smoke | Feature: Move to Block DEA Medical Marijuana Raids Heads for House Floor Vote Next Week Alert: Major Medical Marijuana Vote in Congress Next Week! | Feedback: Do You Read Drug War Chronicle? | Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories | Marijuana: West Hollywood Passes "Lowest Priority" Resolution | Drugged Driving: Michigan Supreme Court Upholds State DUID Law -- Now You Don't Even Have to Be High to Get Busted | Canada: In Harm Reduction Bid, Vancouver Police to Stay Away From Overdose Calls | Europe: Scottish Drug Czar Says Drug War Is Lost, Causes Big To-Do | Africa: Nigerian Narcs in Losing Battle with Marijuana Farmers | Latin America: Venezuela-Funded Coca Factory Opens in Bolivia | Medical Marijuana: National Multiple Sclerosis Society to Fund Study | Web Scan: Len Bias, UN Coca Survey, Oaksterdam News | Weekly: This Week in History | Weekly: The Reformer's Calendar


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