My Lords, what Mrs Emma Appleby has done—and I praise her
courage—is to show that, whatever relaxation there appears to
have been or modification, which we all thought was likely to
produce some positive results, in fact that really is not
happening. People are being denied medication, with
incredibly debilitating results. I have an interest in this
because I have a young family member with stage 4
terminal Brain cancer. He suffers from sickness as
a result of chemotherapy which nothing else is able to
help. He has been refused cannabis. The consultant will not
prescribe it because he feels that there is not enough
information from the Department for Health and Social Care
for him to feel that he is justified in doing so and he does
not know what the implications might be. I understand from
another consultant that the BMA is in fact advising medical
professionals not to prescribe it. What is the alternative
for desperate relatives? Is it to buy cannabis off the
streets not knowing what the quality is and facing the
prospect of a criminal conviction? Speed is of the essence
here, certainly for my family member. I hope that the
Minister can say a little more about the way in which this is
likely to progress and the speed with which it will do
so.
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