Medical marijuana has been used to treat pain for a number of diseases, including cancer and HIV. In a recent study, cannabis was used to treat multiple-sclerosis patients.

In research conducted by Dr. John Zajicek of the University of Plymouth, more than 600 MS patients from all over Britain were given marijuana to test its pain-relieving ability. In the form of an under-the-tongue spray, cannabis was given to some patients, while others were given a placebo to test the effects of the drug.

Multiple sclerosis, a disease affecting about a million people worldwide, is an autoimmune disease that causes the cells in the immune system to destroy the myelin sheath that protects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

The 15-week-long study was used to assess the ability of the drug to relieve such symptoms as spasticity, muscle stiffness and pain.

“There is a range of positives and a range of negatives,” Zajicek, who headed the neurological study, said. “Overall, I think there is enough evidence to take this forward with the licensing and regulatory authorities.”

Multiple sclerosis, which usually affects women and younger people, can cause vision loss, paralysis, numbness and walking difficulties. The myelin sheath that surrounds the cell is essential to transmit signals to the other parts of the body in order for them to function. Without the myelin, cells cannot send these signals.

Patients from the study said the drug helped to relive symptoms such as pain and rigidity, even though the findings from the study said there was not a significant change between those in the placebo group and those in the cannabis group.

“The primary outcome measure, the stiffness as measured by the Ashworth scale, did not show a significant difference between the two groups. There was a slight improvement, but it wasn’t significant,” Zajicek said.

Recently the Netherlands, the world’s first country to get approval for cannabis to be legal medicinally, began using marijuana as a prescription drug for cancer, HIV and multiple sclerosis.

Other countries, such as Britain, Australia and the United States, have patients who would like similar measures to be taken.

“The focus should be on determining the safety and effectiveness of this substance,” Dr. Dana Hanson, president of the Canadian Medical Association, told the Medical Post. “We want the answers that our patients want and demand of any substance.”

A new law that went into effect in the Netherlands in March will allow thousands of people to be legally eligible for the drug. Health insurance will cover the cost of the drug for the first time in history. In the United States, 14 states allow the use of medicinal marijuana, even with the federal ban on the drug.

University of Wisconsin sophomore Brian Becker said if the drug is effective, it should be utilized.

“I think the study is a good idea. I mean, how would it hurt to study an alternative form of medicine?” Becker said. “If it works, it works.”