Cannabis is used for the first time in

hospitals to relieve pain of terminal

cancer patients.
Patients are being treated with medication derived
from marijuana plants in hospitals for the first time as
part of a trial.

Patients at North Manchester General and Fairfield in

Bury were prescribed the drug, Sativex, which experts
say can relieve pain by numbing muscles.

The medication which is sprayed under the tongue up

to 10 times a day does not give users a 'high'.

People who are terminally ill with cancer will initially take part in the trial but if successful, its
use could be extended across the country and be used as a painkiller for other conditions.

The drug has been available on prescription in Britain as a treatment for multiple sclerosis since
last summer - but it has not been used in hospitals before.

Sam Jole, senior research nurse at Pennine says: 'It is very important to point out that patients
using the spray do not experience the euphoria associated with the illegal recreational use of
cannabis. It has passed strict tests for quality, safety and efficacy and doctors are already
prescribing it for multiple sclerosis patients.'

The drug, created by GW Pharmaceuticals, is made from two substances found in the marijuana
plant, THC and CBD (THC produces a high, but CBD counteracts it). It is an oral spray, the drug is
absorbed more slowly than if it was smoked so scientists say it is impossible to 'get high' from
the treatment.

Look at the pictures. What do you see there? What do you think is the news about?

Mainly in the photo I could see the image of the marijuana leaf and I would think that the news
is about some kind of legalization of this product as a recreational drug or maybe that illegal
crops of this plant were found somewhere.

Things to discuss:

1) What is the main idea of the text?

The main idea of this text is the use of cannabis for the treatment of terminal cancer
patients.
2) What is unusual about it? Is it shocking?
The unusual thing about this text is that derivatives of the marijuana plant are being
used as drugs, the shocking thing about all this is that the drug does not react the same
as a recreational drug.
3) What do you personally think of it?
In my opinion, I think that if cannabis is used as a medicine to treat or alleviate a
disease, its use would be correct and otherwise I would think that its use as a drug
would not be a good idea because it could be a health problem publishes.

To my mind, I believe that it is correct, to first test the medicine to a small group before
distributing it to the largest because it is necessary to know if the product gives positive
results in the patients where the medicine is applied, in addition to knowing if it does
not present adverse reactions that may contribute to a worsening of the patient's
disease