Cannabis spray eases pain

CANCER patients who used a cannabis mouth spray had their pain levels reduced by 30%, researchers said yesterday.

The cannabis-based spray, like a mouth freshener, was used on 177 patients by researchers from Edinburgh University. They found it cut pain levels by 30% in a group of cancer patients who had not been helped by morphine or other medicines.

The spray was developed so that it did not affect the mental state of patients in the way that using cannabis would.

The researchers said their findings, reported in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, did not justify smoking cannabis as this could increase the risk of cancer.

Edinburgh University’s Professor Marie Fallon said: “These early results are very promising.”