The law change, laid in Parliament today, came after
the Home Secretary, , listened to concerns
from parents of children with conditions such as severe
epilepsy.
Over the summer he called for an urgent review of
cannabis-based medicinal products and accepted
recommendations that followed from the Advisory Council
on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) and the UK’s Chief
Medical Adviser.
The new law will not limit the types of conditions that
can be considered for treatment and doctors will no
longer need to seek approval from an expert panel in
order for patients to access the medicines.
Home Secretary said:
Having been moved by heartbreaking cases involving
sick children, it was important to me that we took
swift action to help those who can benefit from
medicinal cannabis.
We have now delivered on our promise and specialist
doctors will have the option to prescribe these
products where there is a real need.
I’m grateful to the expert panel – who have been
considering cases in the interim – and to those
who’ve worked hard to bring about this change at the
earliest possible opportunity.
The decision to prescribe these unlicensed medicines
must be made by a specialist doctor – not a GP. These
doctors focus on one field of medicine such as
neurology or paediatrics and are listed on the General
Medical Council’s specialist register. They must make
decisions on prescribing cannabis-based products for
medicinal use on a case-by-case basis, and only when
the patient has an unmet special clinical need that
cannot be met by licensed products.
Patients under the care of a specialist should discuss
their treatment plan with them.
NHS England, the British Paediatric Neurology
Association and the Royal College of Physicians will
provide clinical advice to doctors ahead of the law
change. The National Institute for Health and Care
Excellence has been commissioned to develop more
detailed guidelines for clinicians in the longer term.
President of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society,
Professor Ashok Soni OBE, said:
This news will be welcomed by many patients with
serious health conditions.
The prospect of a future where safe and effective
licensed cannabis-based medicines can be prescribed
to help relieve suffering is genuinely exciting.
We will work with the NHS to help support specialists
in making the right prescribing decisions.
The Home Secretary has made it clear that today’s
announcement does not pave the way towards legalising
cannabis for recreational use. The penalties for
unauthorised supply and possession will remain
unchanged.
