I have been contacted by a number of constituents as part of the campaign End Our Pain "Please help severely ill children still being denied NHS access to medical cannabis".
The Home Secretary last year confirmed that there will be a review on the scheduling of medicinal cannabis.
If the review identifies that there are significant medical benefits then the Government does intend to reschedule.
It is crucial that this country keeps in step with the latest scientific evidence, so that patients and their families have access to the most appropriate course of medical treatment. My Ministerial colleagues have also been clear that given the nature of the medicine, it should only be prescribed be specialist doctors and on a case-by-case basis. I believe these controls are necessary to develop clinical expertise and an evidence base for this treatment’s effectiveness.
Notwithstanding the above, however, I absolutely understand the concerns and anguish of patients and their families. The decision whether to prescribe an individual with medicinal cannabis is therefore not a political or financial decision, but a decision by a medical expert, who will have considered whether it is the most effective treatment based on an individual’s particular condition.
I was unable to attend the drop-in session in Parliament this week but I will continue to closely monitor the roll-out of medicinal cannabis.
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