A needle system including a plastic cannula and a stylet, and a procedure utilizing the needle system for positioning the end of a spinal catheter within the subarachnoid space surrounding a patient's spinal cord for continuous administration of anesthetics and/or analgesic medications. The stylet has a pencil-point sharpened end for forming a minimal size opening in the dura defining the subarachnoid space to minimize the loss of cerebrospinal fluid therefrom during this procedure. The cannula has a hub formed of glass-clear plastic, which is provided with viewing recesses.