Is medical cannabis illegal in the UK, when will the review end and what has Sajid Javid said?

The Home Secretary told MPs he was launching a review into the way marijuana is regulated for medicines with a view to liberalising the current regime.

By Guy Birchall

 

MEDICAL cannabis is set to become legal in Britain.

Here's what we know about the government decision to allow marijuana for medical purposes.

UK law does not permit cannabis for medicinal use.Under the UK’s Misuse of Drugs Act, cannabis is currently classed as having “no medicinal value”.

However, there are two prescription drugs in the UK which use ingredients that are present in cannabis – they are called Sativex and Nabilone.

Sativex is used to relieve the pain of muscle spasms, and Nabilone is used to relieve sickness caused by cancer treatment.

While both are legal in the UK, they are hard to get hold of, and are not offered by the NHS.

When will the review into medical cannabis end?

Home Secretary Sajid Javid told MPs he was launching a review into the way marijuana is regulated for medicines with a view to liberalising the current regime.

He told the House of Commons he had been deeply moved by the plight of young children such as Billy Caldwell who have been denied the drugs they need to stay healthy.

He said: “As a father, I know there is nothing worse than seeing your child suffer. You would do your utmost to alleviate their pain.

"That is why I have the upmost sympathy for Billy Caldwell, Alfie Dingley and others like them, and for their parents who have been under unimaginable stress and strain.

"I will do everything in my power to make sure that we have a system that works so that these children and these parents get access to the best medical treatment."

What has Sajid Javid said?

Mr Javid told the Commons that six-year-old Alfie Dingley is today becoming the second epileptic child to be allowed to use cannabis oil as a form of treatment.

Announcing an urgent review to be led by Dame Sally Davies, the Chief Medical Officer, he said: "Cases like Billy’s, Alfie Dingley’s and others like it, have shown that we need to look more closely at the use of cannabis-based medicine in the healthcare sector in the UK.

"Because it has become clear to me since becoming Home Secretary that the position that we find ourselves in currently is not satisfactory. It’s not satisfactory for the parents, it’s not satisfactory for the doctors, and it’s not satisfactory for me."

The Home Secretary said that if, as expected, experts conclude there are "significant medical benefits" to cannabis-based medicine, he will change the law to make its use legal in the UK.