Victims of Multiple Sclerosis since June 21 this year (2010) can legally purchase a marijuana based medicine known as Sativex in Britain to alleviate the excruciating pain and spasms associated with their condition. Jamaica, which has an enduring cultural and law enforcement association with the herb, had set the pace globally in terms of research and development of legal drugs from ganja since the 1970s through the groundbreaking efforts of Professor Manley West and Dr Albert Lockhart at the University of the West Indies (UWI). Professor West and Dr Lockhart isolated a compound in cannabis which they discovered could be used in the treatment of glaucoma, a broad term which encompasses disorders of the eye in which pressure within the eye is elevated, resulting in damage to the organ causing pain, visual disturbances, and even blindness. The upshot of their collaboration was the development of canasol, which contains an alpha agonist, which helps to relieve the pressure in the eye without the side effects of other therapies. - The Gleaner - Jamaica
