DORCHESTER doctor Geoffrey Guy is today a step closer to launching a cannabis painkiller following government backing for new trials.

Mr Guy is waiting for regulators to give permission for his company, GW Pharmaceuticals, to sell prescription-only sprays for such conditions as multiple sclerosis (MS). The government is launching its own trials of cannabis pills for hospital patients.

A GW spokesman said: "A dossier on sprays has gone to the regulators and we are waiting to hear back.

"The government announced its own study into cannabis tablets with the Medical Research Council although GW has not had anything to do with that."

The Medical Research Council intends to give cannabis pills to NHS patients in 36 hospitals nationwide as part of a study of pain relief study.

The move boosted GW share prices by 19 pence to 231.5 pence with investors believing it indicated government approval. The surge in GW's value continues with shares trebling in the past year.

Dr Guy was dubbed Britain's first legal cannabis grower when he won a government licence to develop medicines to fight pain.

GW, which operates at Porton Down in Wiltshire, launched a series of trials with patients after growing 40,000 cannabis plants at a secret location in the south.

The medicine, which is sprayed under the tongue and does not give a 'high', was aimed at multiple sclerosis sufferers and proved a success.

The company hopes to launch the MS painkiller, to be called, Sativex, on the market by the end of 2003.

It signed a multi-million pound deal with German healthcare giant Bayer earlier this year to market the spray.

This includes a £5 million signing fee and milestone payments of £25 million once the spray wins regulatory approval. GW will also receive revenues from sale of the drug.

GW scientists have also carried out tests for such conditions as cancer, spinal cord injury, neuropathic pain and bladder dysfunction.