A YEAR’S SUPPLY OF FREE CANNABIS

A South African study is looking for participants in a first clinical trial of its sort. The trial aims to examine cannabis’ effectiveness as an alternative to other pain management options.

The trial is sponsored by the Cannabis Research Institute of South Africa and will continue for a year. A total of 300 participants will be enrolled and the results will be expected late next year.

Participants will receive a year’s worth of cannabis for free, but there are some strict requirements before they will be allowed to participate in the trial.

They have to be able to prove that they suffer from chronic pain and it has to be defined as pain that lingers for longer than six months.

Business Insider reports that the clinical trial comes amid South Africa’s perception shift regarding the plant, which has grown since the 2018 Constitutional Court ruling decriminalising private, personal use o cannabis.

Since the ruling, government has launched its Cannabis Master Plan which hopes to industrialise the plant and be able to create more than 25 000 jobs.

The use of cannabis for medicinal purposes has been approved in several countries including South Africa, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, a lot of European countries and American states.

The Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill is currently before Parliament.

Image credit: Medical News Today