"Both anecdotes from patients and small clinical studies suggest cannabis could provide significant medical benefits to patients by relieving a range of distressing symptoms such as pain, spasm and bladder dysfuntion, even in patients for whom prescription medicines have failed. The UK regulatory and political authorities have stated that cannabis will only be made available to patients when it has been proven to be safe and efficacious. Research is therefore necessary so that cannabis can become legally available to those who will benefit."