Dear Rosie -

Should have picked up on something you said in another thread about your doctor's reaction to smoking, to the effect that you would be better off with cannabis. It's true. I personally am prescribed a drug called Marinol, which contains an exact copy of one of 9 naturally occurring THC molecules, and it's the best thing I know if for spasms, by far. The only problems with it are (1) it takes a while to come on but then your're stoned for hours - too long really - and (2) it's not a nice sharp crisp high, but something definitely more stolid. Sort of like cheap Mexican pot from 40 years ago, before everyone got into the cultivation of bigger and stickier buds. So forget about being productive on it in any sense. And, oh yeah, it leaves you (Not sure why they had to choose that particular THC to replicate, could have been the easiest, my docs don't know.)

But speaking of docs, I roll a die every time I go in to see my pain specialist and last week I was called on to produce a sample of my renal output. Not sure what would happen if they found a few unauthorized THC molecules in the stew - legal medical marijuana is after all the rage in California and I'm not under any formal "pain contract" - but where I have a great pain doc. who is comfortable prescribing Marinol in 5 mg. capsules (up to 4 /day) but NOT medical marijuana, I wouldn't want to test the professional relationship by adding something unauthorized to the mix. So I don't.

That said, I understand the same stuff is available in Canada in an aerosol spray that's shot in the mouth/under the tongue. No idea what's available in the UK, but it's certainly worth checking out if you haven't done so already. MS patients swear by the real thing.

Mike