The Home Secretary, , committed in July to
swift action on behalf of those whose medical
conditions could potentially be eased by cannabis-based
products and these products will be lawful later in the
autumn.
Together with the Health and Social Care Secretary, the
Home Secretary has now set out how cannabis-based
products for medicinal use will be defined in order to
make it lawful for them to be prescribed when
specialist doctors believe this is appropriate.
Specialist doctors specialise in one field of medicine
such as neurology or paediatrics. In the UK, specialist
doctors are listed on the General Medical Council’s
(GMC) specialist register.
The Home Secretary’s decision takes into account
recommendations made by the Advisory Council on the
Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) and the UK’s Chief Medical
Adviser.
The government has been clear it has no intention of
legalising the recreational use of cannabis. Due to the
known harms of smoking and the potential operational
impact on misuse and diversion, smoking will remain
prohibited.
Patients will not be able to get cannabis-based
medicinal products from their general practitioner.
Home Secretary, said:
After hearing of the cases involving sick children, I
pledged to make cannabis products legally available
for medicinal use as soon as possible.
Agreeing this definition means specialist doctors
will be able to prescribe them to patients most in
need later this autumn.
There will be strict controls in place and this is in
no way a step towards legalising the recreational use
of cannabis.
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care,
, said:
The Chief Medical Officer’s review of the evidence
was clear – cannabis-based products can be effective
for some conditions. So from autumn specialist
doctors will be able to prescribe them when they
judge that patients will benefit.
However, these are largely still unlicensed
medicines, so it is also important that we build a
greater research base on the therapeutic benefit of
these products so we can maximise their potential as
medicines.
This decision as to which products will be made
available is the result of work between the Home
Office, ACMD, Department of Health and Social Care
(DHSC) and the Medicines and Healthcare Products
Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
There are 3 broad requirements for products before they
can be prescribed:
- the product is or contains cannabis, cannabis
resin, cannabinol or cannabinol derivatives
- the product must be produced for medicinal use in
humans
- it must be a product that is regulated as a
medicinal product or an ingredient of a medicinal
product
Until the autumn, specialist doctors will still be able
to apply to the independent expert panel on behalf of
patients wishing to access these products.
