Rachel Smalley
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affects millions all over the world and now a team of Dutch scientists is testing a cannabis-infused chewing gum made by an American medical marijuana company.
It's already used to ease nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy patients, and to help treat chronic pain. And IBS experts think it could ease cramping and bloating in the digestive system too.
So this is how the test will work. IBS suffers will chew six sticks of cannabis-gum each day. Yes, six. I'm not sure whether they'll still be productive after that, or whether they'll spend the afternoon staring vacantly at the patterned wallpaper, but six sticks is what they'll be given.
It makes sense, doesn't it? It's a relaxant, and stress and anxiety are two of the trigger buttons for IBS. And the medicinal value of marijuana is undisputed, it seems. It does ease suffering, and so I don't understand why we're still tip-toeing around the issue of using marijuana in a medicinal capacity.