Patients are being treated with medication derived from marijuana plants in hospitals for the first time as part of a trial.
Patients at North Manchester General and Fairfield in Bury were prescribed the drug, Sativex, which experts say can relieve pain by numbing muscles
The medication which is sprayed under the tongue up to 10 times a day does not give users a 'high'.
World first: Research nurse Sam Jole said studies into the new drug are groundbreaking. It is being tested on patients at North Manchester General Hospital and Fairfield Hospital in Bury
People who are terminally ill with cancer will initially take part in the trial but if successful, its use could be extended across the country and be used as a painkiller for other conditions.
Eight people have already been signed up, and 32 others will be recruited over the next two years.
The drug has been available on prescription in Britain as a treatment for multiple sclerosis since last summer - but it has not been used in hospitals before.
Sam Jole, senior research nurse at Pennine, the trust which runs North Manchester and Fairfield, has been involved in setting up the trials and identifying, recruiting and monitoring patients.
On trial: Sativex is derived from marijuana, numbing the muscles to relieve pain without a 'high'
He said: 'The majority of cancer research is focused on curing disease.
'Palliative care is an under-researched medical specialty and the studies are genuinely ground-breaking.
'I've been a research nurse for years and have never come across anything like it.
'It is very important to point out that patients using the spray do not experience the euphoria associated with the illegal recreational use of cannabis.
'It has passed strict tests for quality, safety and efficacy and doctors are already prescribing it for multiple sclerosis patients.'
Patients involved in the study will visit either North Manchester or Fairfield General for check-ups four times over a five-week period.
They will also be required to to report their pain scores and usage of painkillers every evening over the phone.
Around half of them will be prescribed the active drug and the rest will receive a placebo.
The drug, created by GW Pharmaceuticals, is made from two substances found in the marijuana plant, THC and CBD.
North Manchester General Hospital: One of the hospitals testing the cannabis-derived drug in hospitals for the first time
THC produces a high, but CBD counteracts it, and because Sativex is an oral spray, the drug is absorbed more slowly than if it was smoked so scientists say it is impossible to 'get high' from the treatment.
Dr Iain Lawrie, consultant and honorary clinical senior lecturer in palliative medicine at North Manchester, said: 'This study is an exciting development in the field of cancer pain management.
'Initial clinical observations suggest that Sativex will have an important role to play in this complex area of palliative care.'
2nd September 2011
Dailymail.co.uk
www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2033021/Doctors-treat-patients-pain-relieving-cannabis-drug-used-time-hospitals.html
