For those MS sufferers who smoke cannabis to ease their pain, the arrival of the proposed new drugs cannot come too soon.

People with multiple sclerosis could have access to cannabis-based painkillers on NHS prescription by 2004 if new drug trials prove positive.

The majority of those currently taking illegal cannabis do not want to break the law but feel they have little choice because it is the only thing that works for them.

There have been several cases in Sussex of people being prosecuted for smoking cannabis for medicinal use.

Danny Groves from Peacehaven has been convicted in the past for taking the drug, which he said helped control shooting pains and muscle spasms and was more beneficial than the 30-plus prescription drugs he was taking.

The use of cannabis-based drugs to relieve pain is now being referred to the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (Nice), which controls what drugs go into the marketplace.

Trials paid for by the Medical Research Council, with the backing of the Department of Health and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, to assess the use of cannabinoids in pain relief are already under way.

The results are expected by the end of the year and will be used by Nice in carrying out its appraisal of the drugs.

There are about 1,500 adults suffering from MS in Sussex and about 85,000 across the UK.

Campaigners believe up to 10,000 of these break the law by using cannabis to relieve their symptoms.

Karl Wallace, of the Sussex MS Treatment Centre, said he knew quite a few sufferers who used cannabis.

He said: "Most sufferers are in their 30s or 40s, female and have never broken the law before. They are very respectable and would normally never dream of doing something like taking illegal drugs.

"But some feel it is the only thing they can do. There is no doubt about the fact that the drug is an effective painkiller.

"If people can get access to it legally, that is something to be welcomed. It can be far more effective than the usual huge medical cocktails that people are having to take instead.

"People will do whatever they need to do to help themselves. It would be nice if they didn't have to break the law to do it."

Nicola Russell, from the Multiple Sclerosis Trust, the national support organisation for people with MS, said: "The decision to refer cannabis to Nice is a positive step.

"The preliminary results of the ongoing clinical tests are very encouraging."

Michael Daniels is chairman of the Brighton and Hove branch of the Multiple Sclerosis Society and has had the condition for more than 15 years.

He said: "I am very pleased about these trials and I hope the new drugs are made available as soon as possible."

The debate over the use of cannabis in medicine is controversial.

Supporters of the drug claim it has wide-ranging benefits but opponents say it is a potentially dangerous substance which can actually damage health and encourage people to use harder drugs, such as heroin and cocaine.

They also say it damages the ability to concentrate and has other side effects because cannabis has more than 400 active ingredients.

A Brighton MS sufferer, who did not want to be named, has had MS for ten years and regularly smokes cannabis.

He said: "It really does help with cutting the pain. I'm not happy about the fact it is illegal and there are not many people who know that I'm taking it. I don't use it all the time and I certainly don't feel any urge to try harder illegal drugs. I look on it as a medicine."

Doctors have also welcomed news of the trials.

Brighton-based GP Richard Edwards said he had spoken to several patients who had asked about taking cannabis but he had been forced to tell them he could not help because the drug was illegal.

He said: "If these trials are successful and the drug made available to those who really need it to help with their pain then a lot of people are going to benefit."