Parents call for action to help access medical cannabis on the NHS

Nearly five years since a rule change to allow medical cannabis to be prescribed to NHS patients, we're being told by parents that nothing has changed.

The law was changed in 2018 - to allow the drug to be used for treatment for a variety of conditions.

But stats show since then, less than five prescriptions have been issued.

The law change came about following a campaign by Hannah Deacon, who's from Kenilworth in Warwickshire.

Her son Alfie Dingley has a rare form of epilepsy, which meant he could suffer from hundreds of seizures a month.

He was taken to Holland for a few months in 2017 to be treated with the drug, after which he and his family returned to the UK to successfully get access to medical cannabis here, initially via a government license, and then an NHS prescription.

Alfie's now 11 years old and has not had a seizure for over 3 years.

Hannah continues to campaign to get access for other families across the country.

'Doctors are not being supported and patients are not being supported

'If we don't made medical cannabis more readily available, them children are going to die and that's the reality

'This needs to have a sense of urgency and the government needs to do more to help'

Medical whole cannabis uses the entire cannabis plant - which includes the compound THC, the part which can make people feel high.

There are two licensed cannabis-based medicines routinely available on the NHS - Sativex to treat adults with multiple sclerosis and Epidyolex for the treatment of two forms of epilepsy.

There is also Nabilone, a synthetic form of THC, to treat severe nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy.

But it's claimed the vast majority of patients won't be prescribed the medication even if requested, because there's a lack of knowledge amongst doctors about it.

The usual process of getting a drug approved involves it having to undergo a medical trial before it can be officially licensed, but that can be costly because there are multiple chemical elements that make up a cannabis plant.

And campaigners say doing a trial like what is done with other drugs would be unethical, because it would involve patients having to come off essential medication to take what's called a placebo.

This is a substance that has no therapeutic effect, and used as a control in testing new drugs.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said:

“In 2018, we changed the law to allow specialist doctors to prescribe cannabis-based products, where clinically appropriate, and making it easier to conduct research on these products.

“Licensed cannabis-based medicines can be funded by the NHS where there is clear evidence of their quality, safety and effectiveness.

“It is important to carefully review evidence on unlicensed cannabis based treatments to ensure they are proved safe and effective before they can be considered for roll out on the NHS more widely.”

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