Cannabis relieves pain, says government study

Cannabis can relieve nausea caused by chemotherapy Keystone

Cannabis can alleviate chronic pain caused for example by cancer and muscle cramps from multiple sclerosis, according to an international study financed by the Federal Office of Public Health. 

The office said it would bear in mind the medical benefits of the drug – consumption of which is banned in Switzerland – when granting special exemptions. 

It said on Monday that in order to be able to make these exceptions in a more target-oriented way, it had commissioned a systematic review of the positive and negative effects of the medical use of cannabis. 

The metastudy involved analysing 79 clinical studies with more than 6,000 participants. It concluded that consuming cannabis was accompanied by an alleviation of symptoms, although changes could not be found for all the indicators which were being examined. 

But good evidence could be found for cancer-related pain and spasms connected to multiple sclerosis. Positive effects were also noted concerning post-chemotherapy nausea, weight loss among AIDS patients, insomnia and Tourette’s syndrome. 

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Cannabis was found to be less effective for symptoms of anxiety, however. 

Short-term side effects could include a dry mouth, tiredness, nausea or drowsiness. 

Legal situation 

Swiss legislation bans the cultivation, consumption and sale of cannabis with a strength of the psychoactive constituent THC of over 1%. Apart from this percentage, cannabis is considered a drug and any use of it requires special authorisation. 

Anyone over 18 caught in possession of up to ten grams of cannabis will receive a CHF100 ($107) fine. Up to 500,000 people in Switzerland, which has a population of eight million, are believed to be occasional cannabis smokers, with officials noting a downward trend over the past decade. 

In 2008, Swiss voters rejected an initiative to decriminalise cannabis. At the same time they approved the new law on narcotics and psychotropic substances, which introduced a controlled and limited use of cannabis for medical purposes. Previously it was allowed only in research. 

Medical use of the plant is legal or tolerated in several European countries (Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Britain), Latin America and 23 American states. It remains illegal in most of Asia and Africa.