Medicinal cannabis to be made legal in the UK

Medicinal cannabis products will soon be able to be prescribed by specialist clinicians in the UK.

The announcement by Savid Javid, the UK's home secretary, comes less than a month after he said the use of cannabis-based medicinal treatments would be reviewed. This happened after the cases of Billy Caldwell and Alfie Dingley, two young boys with epilepsy who were allowed access to cannabis oil to counter their illness.

By autumn patients will be able to access medicinal cannabis treatments if they have a "exceptional clinical need".

Ahead of the changes coming into action, the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Medicines and Health products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will define what qualifies for the use of medicinal cannabis.

Sajid Javid said: "Recent cases involving sick children made it clear to me that our position on cannabis-related medicinal products was not satisfactory.

"That is why we launched a review and set up an expert panel to advise on licence applications in exceptional circumstances."

Despite the legalisation of medicinal cannabis, Javid added it "is in no way a first step to the legalisation of cannabis for recreational use." The Home Office also ensured medicinal cannabis products will not be "traded illicitly".

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[Photo: Andres Rodriguez]

Dave Turner is Mixmag's Digital News Editor, follow him on Twitter