Cannabis does not slow the progression of multiple sclerosis, a large-scale study has concluded.
The study at the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry at Plymouth University is a blow to hopes that the drug could provide long-term benefits for patients with the debilitating nerve disease.
Despite
promising signs in earlier, shorter studies, researchers found patients
who took capsules containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a key active
ingredient in cannabis, fared no better than those given a placebo.
The trial involved 493 people with
progressive MS at 27 centres around the UK and began in 2006.
Participants took either THC capsules or placebo for three years.
In the study known as Cupid - cannabinoid
use in progressive inflammatory brain disease - MS patients were
assessed on both a disability scale administered by neurologists and
another based on their own reporting.
Source - Daily Mail
