Health: Cannabis plea by doctors may not save this MS sufferer from going to prison

Elizabeth Ivol, a multiple sclerosis sufferer, is awaiting sentence after being found guilty of possessing cannabis. Yesterday's move by the BMA to encourage courts to show compassion in such cases may have come too late to help her, reports Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor.

It is seven years since Elizabeth Ivol was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and in that time she has tried every treatment, orthodox and unorthodox. The only one that has brought her relief is cannabis. Now that may be denied her, too.

On 2 December she is due to be sentenced by the Sherrif's court in South Ronaldsay, Orkney, where she lives with two dogs, after being found guilty of growing 27 cannabis plants on the windowsills of her house.

She has been warned to expect a jail term, given the number of plants.

The British Medical Association is supporting patients such as Ms Ivol in calling for a change in the law to allow derivatives of cannabis to be more widely prescribed and research on cannabinoid treatments to go ahead.

Dr Vivienne Nathanson, head of policy, said: "We are not calling for the legalisation of cannabis. But we do believe there is medical evidence that cannabinoids are helpful to justify a change in the law.

"Until then, the courts should be aware of the medicinal uses of the drug and use their compassion, sympathy and understanding when dealing with patients found in possession."

Six police officers raided the home of Ms Ivol, 50, who walks with two sticks, last September. A van was sent later to remove the plants. She said: "I have tried all the diets, including the crackpot ones, and all the drugs. I had horrible side-effects after one course of injections. Three years ago I was given some cannabis for Christmas. I was so amazed at the difference it made I thought this had to be it."

The disease has caused numbness which has left most of her body without feeling. She said: "When I smoked it I felt the ground under my feet for the first time in years. I only smoke a miniscule amount - enough to ease the pain in my spine and restore the feeling from my bladder so I know when to go to the toilet.

"You cannot believe the difference it has made to my life. It was either cannabis or suicide. I didn't keep the plants secret, my neighbours watered them for me, and I only had so many because I thought some might die. I didn't think the court case would come to anything, seeing my circumstances, but I was wrong."

A report by the BMA's Board of Science, "Therapeutic Uses of Cannabis", published yesterday, says there is evidence that the drug can help muscle spasm and pain in MS patients, nausea in patients undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, and chronic pain. There are also some reports of benefits in epilepsy, glaucoma (the build up of pressure in the eye), asthma, high blood pressure and the weight loss associated with Aids.

Heather Ashton, professor of clinical psychopharmacology at Newcastle University and chief author of the report, said the research priorities should be MS and chronic pain. "The present treatments are unsatisfactory, new drugs are badly needed and preliminary evidence suggests cannabis derivatives might be effective."

The report did not advocate use of the whole cannabis plant which could be as damaging as tobacco, she said. It was essential to extract the constituents of cannabis that conferred benefit, in the same way that morphine had been purified from opium, in order to establish which were beneficial. "If you visit any mental hospital you will find young patients who have gone crazy from smoking strong cannabis. Unpleasant mood effects are common in patients with illnesses who are using it."

The Multiple Sclerosis Society said that some patients had experienced benefits from cannabis but others had suffered unpleasant side effects, including loss of balance. It called for proper clinical trials to establish its safety.