Doctors will be able to prescribe medicinal cannabis in the UK from NEXT MONTH
MEDICINAL cannabis will be available on prescription from next month, the Home Secretary announced today.
Doctors will be able to prescribe cannabis products to patients from November 1.
The new rules apply to England, Wales and Scotland, Sajid Javid said in a written statement.
It follows several high-profile cases, including young epilepsy sufferers Alfie Dingley and Billy Caldwell, whose conditions appeared to be helped by cannabis oil.
Alfie's mother, Hannah Deacon, said: “Today is a momentous day for every patient and family with a suffering child who wish to access medicinal cannabis.
“We urge the medical world to get behind these reforms so they can help the tens of thousands of people who are in urgent need of help.
“I have personally seen how my son's life has changed due to the medical cannabis he is now prescribed.
“As a family we were facing his death. Now we are facing his life, full of joy and hope, which is something I wish for each and every person in this country who could benefit from this medicine.”
Billy Caldwell's mother, Charlotte Caldwell, said she was crying tears of joy at the announcement.
Billy was left fighting for life after his cannabis oil medication was confiscated at Heathrow airport in June.
"It's been a treasure just out of reach for what seems like forever, but to see it in writing from the Government is incredible," she said.
"It feels like both five minutes and five years since Billy and I landed at Heathrow on June 11 and his meds were confiscated.
"Within a week, the Home Secretary had recognised the gravity of the situation for both Billy, and potentially many more children, then many families, then thousands of other people.
"What started out as a journey for me as Billy's mummy to help my little boy has become something much bigger.
"The needs of my little boy turned out to be the needs of many more."
Setting out the new regulations, Mr Javid said: "This brings these products explicitly into the existing medicines framework.
"These regulations are not an end in themselves. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) will be conducting a long-term review of cannabis and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has been commissioned to provide advice for clinicians by October next year.
"The Government will monitor the impact of the policy closely as the evidence-base develops and review when the ACMD provides its final advice."
In order for a cannabis product to be considered medicinal it must meet three requirements: it "needs to be a preparation or product which contains cannabis, cannabis resin, cannabinol or a cannabinol derivative; it is produced for medicinal use in humans and; is a medicinal product, or a substance or preparation for use as an ingredient of, or in the production of an ingredient of, a medicinal product", according to Mr Javid's statement.
Campaigners, charities and experts have welcomed the offer, saying the change in law could help patient’s in situations where other medication hasn’t helped.
Genevieve Edwards, director of external affairs at the MS Society, said: “This is a landmark moment as the UK comes closer to joining countries around the world to offer access to cannabis for medicinal use.
“Multiple sclerosis is often painful and exhausting, and this change in the law could have a huge impact for up to 10,000 people with the condition to relieve their pain and muscle spasms.
“It’s crucial that specialist doctors can prescribe it in a fair and timely way on the NHS for everyone who could benefit, and we welcome robust guidance being put in place to help them make their decisions.”
Professor Mike Barnes, the medical cannabis expert who secured the first long-term licence for its use for Alfie, said: "This announcement has transformed the position of the UK in this exciting and developing field.
"Compared to many pharmaceutical drugs, whole plant medical cannabis products are remarkably safe and, as recent high-profile cases have shown, can produce dramatic improvements for patients."
MORE ON CANNABIS
Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the main ingredients in medical marijuana.
It's different to smoking marijuana as it contains low levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the substance that makes people high.
It is also used in cannabis oil to treat a range of issues including mental health, sleep problems, low appetite, epilepsy, Alzheimer's and palliative care.
CBD is also said to help prevent the signs of ageing and protect against eczema and psoriasis.
Last year the World Health Organisation declared CBD safe to use with no risk of addition.
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