Who is Alfie Dingley, will he be given cannabis oil to treat his epilepsy seizures and what is his petition about?
ALFIE Dingley suffers from epilepsy that his mum insists can be treated with cannabis oil — but the family were banned from using it.
Six-year-old Alfie endures up to 30 seizures a day because of his condition — made worse, his family say, because of the ban. Here's what we know about his tragic case.
Who is Alfie Dingley?
Alfie Dingley, six, suffers from a rare genetic mutation that gives him epileptic fits.
Parents Hannah Deacon and Drew Dingley believe cannabis oil has had a significant impact on his treatment.
They say the results are “nothing short of a miracle” with seizures down to around one a month when he takes it.
The family moved to the Netherlands in September 2017 in order to receive the treatment.
But they ran out of money and have been forced to return to Britain.
Alfie’s parents now want the NHS to make an exception to the ban on cannabis oil in the UK.
Their call received a further boost after Home Secretary Sajid Javid ruled that fellow sufferer Billy Caldwell, 12, be granted an “urgent” licence to take the medication.
Some cannabis oils are sold in the UK but the type the family is believed to want contains an illegal psycho-active element called THC.
The Home Office insisted it can be used here only for research under medical licence and “cannot be practically prescribed, administered or supplied to the public”.
Will he be given cannabis oil to treat his epilepsy?
In March 2018 the Home Office announced it was considering allowing a medical cannabis trial to treat Alfie.
Ministers said they are "exploring every option" after meeting with his family.
Mum Hannah described the move as a "lifeline".
Speaking to the BBC, Ms Deacon said: "We're very positive that [the Home Office] have given us this lifeline. I think they see what a serious issue we have here.
"I'm his mum, I'm not a politician, not an activist, I'm just a mum tired of seeing him suffer and I've found something that helps him. It's his human right to be well."
A Home Office spokesperson said: "The Government has a huge amount of sympathy for the rare and difficult situation that Alfie and his family are faced with.
"The Policing Minister wants to explore every option and has met with Alfie's family to discuss treatments that may be accessible for him.
"No decisions have been made and any proposal would need to be led by senior clinicians using sufficient and rigorous evidence."
Alfie's parents are hoping the Government will allow him to have cannabis oil treatment after their U-turn in the case of Billy Caldwell.
What do the doctors say?
In an interview, Alfie's mum said that doctors are "too frightened" to prescribe medicinal cannabis despite the law change.
MPs said that thousands of patients were being denied prescriptions for cannabis because of "botched and cruel" medical guidance.
Medicinal cannabis expert Professor Mike Barnes said specialists will not prescribe the drugs because of Royal College of Physicians (RCP) advice stating there is no strong evidence cannabis can help with chronic pain, reported .
Alfie's mum said that "there is no doctor in this country brave enough to want to prescribe".
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What is the petition?
The family set up a petition that has more than 38,000 signatures.
The petition declares: “I support the call to change the law to allow doctors to prescribe cannabis where they consider it would help their patients; and for patients to have their prescription honoured at the pharmacy.”
You can find it .
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