Medicinal cannabis is available to patients on NHS prescription from TODAY
DOCTORS will be able to prescribe medicinal cannabis in the UK starting today.
The drug will be available to patients across England, Wales and Scotland, after the Government faced mounting pressure from campaigners.
Several high-profile cases thrust the debate into the limelight, after two young epilepsy sufferers were denied the supposed healing benefits of cannabis oil, said to help control seizures.
In the past, cannabis has been classed as a schedule one drug, meaning that it was thought to have no real therapeutic value.
But an initial review by chief medical officer Dame Sally Davis concluded that there was enough evidence to suggest that medicinal cannabis can be of therapeutic use.
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), which has been carrying out the second part of the review into the substance, confirmed that doctors should be able to prescribe infused products so long as safety standards are met.
In the US, cannabis for medical purposes is legal in 31 states, with California leading the green revolution all the way back in 1996.
"I think that it's absolutely fantastic news for kids like Alfie Dingley and Billy Caldwell who suffered under the previous laws we had, and I think that it could be the start of real change in UK drug laws generally," Daniel Pryor from the Adam Smith Institute, told The Sun.
"Recent polls have shown the highest ever approval ratings for legalisation in the UK, and this move towards medical cannabis legalisation is a positive move towards drug law reform."
Last month, Canada agreed to legalise recreational marijuana in a bid to stamp out crime associated with illicit sales.
ARE YOU ELIGIBLE FOR MEDICAL CANNABIS?
Not everyone will be allowed a prescription for medical cannabis now it is legalised.
New NHS guidance severely restricts how cannabis can be prescribed.
A decision to prescribe the drug will only be made when all other treatment options have been exhausted.
Can GPs prescribe cannabis?
Not every GP can prescribe the drug, only specialist doctors can prescribe it on a case-by-case basis.
In a statement, the Department of Health said: "It is important that prescribing decisions are taken by expert clinicians informed by evidence on quality, safety and effectiveness.
"Therefore, prescribing of cannabis-based products for medicinal use is restricted to clinicians listed on the Specialist Register of the General Medical Council.
"Cannabis-based products for medicinal use will not be available from General Practitioners."
The UK is only proposing that controlled cannabis be legal strictly with a prescription.
But Professor Alex Stevens from the University of Kent's School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research doesn't believe the move goes far enough.
Also a member of the UK Advisory Council on the Misue of Drugs, he said: "It's welcome that the Home Secretary has responded to pressure to allow people to use cannabis to relieve serious medical conditions.
"But the process he has set up means that very few people will benefit. Only a few doctors will be allowed to prescribe cannabis as a medicine, and only for a very small number of conditions. Many of the people who want to use cannabis to ease their pain or treat their symptoms will still have to commit crime to get it.
"This is a missed opportunity to reduce suffering. It could be rectified by putting patients first, trusting them to decide what is best for them, and stopping treating people who use cannabis as criminals."
WHAT IS MEDICINAL CANNABIS?
In order for a cannabis product to be considered medicinal it must meet three requirements:
1. It "needs to be a preparation or product which contains cannabis, cannabis resin, cannabinol or a cannabinol derivative," home secretary Sajid Jarvid said.
2. It is produced for medicinal use in humans
3. It 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, Mr Jarvid's statement outlined.
When the home secretary Sajid Javid announced the plan back in October, campaigners, charities and experts welcomed the offer, saying the change in law could help patients in situations where other medication hasn’t helped.
Speaking at the time, 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.”
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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