Image caption Billy Caldwell and Alfie Dingley were granted licences to allow them access to cannabis oil

Specialist doctors in the UK will be able to legally prescribe cannabis-derived medicinal products by autumn, the home secretary has announced. And Home Secretary Sajid Javid has now decided to reschedule the products, relaxing the rules about the circumstances in which they can be given to patients, after considering expert advice from a specially commissioned review. “Following the submission of this petition and several high profile media campaigns, I am pleased to see at last that the Government is recognising the importance of Cannabis-based treatments and we must all welcome this news as a victory for campaigners everywhere.”

The change has also been prompted by other high profile cases, including that of young epilepsy sufferers Alfie Dingley and Billy Caldwell, whose conditions appeared to be helped by cannabis oil. By the autumn, cannabis-derived medicine will be able to be prescribed to patients by their doctors, as the home secretary announced that their position on cannabis-related medicine was "not satisfactory". “That is why we launched a review and set up an expert panel to advise on licence applications in exceptional circumstances. “Following advice from two sets of independent advisers, I have taken the decision to reschedule cannabis-derived medicinal products – meaning they will be available on prescription.”

Scientists say evidence is growing that cannabis can ease epilepsy and other conditions - such as chronic pain, multiple sclerosis and chemotherapy-induced nausea - prompting renewed interest in the field. ‘This will help patients with an exceptional clinical need, but is in no way a first step to the legalisation of cannabis for recreational use.’

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Cannabis had been considered to have no therapeutic benefits by the government. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), which carried out the second part of the review, last week said doctors should be able to prescribe medicinal cannabis provided products meet safety standards. The decision by the Home Office will put certain cannabis-derived products into Schedule 2 - those that have a potential medical use - and will place them in the same category as cocaine and heroin, among other drugs. Image copyright Gareth Fuller/PA Wire Image caption The government and medicines regulator are to develop a clear definition of what constitutes a cannabis-derived medicinal product

Cannabis is classed as a Schedule 1 drug, meaning it is judged to have no therapeutic value but can be used for the purposes of research with a Home Office licence. Image copyright Pacemaker Image caption The Department of Health says legalising medicinal cannabis in NI is a devolved matter for local politicians

A Department of Health spokesperson said: "The rescheduling of cannabis-derived medicinal products is a devolved matter and requires legislative change. Sir Mike Penning, co-chairman of the recently established cross-party parliamentary group on Medical Cannabis Under Prescription, welcomed the announcement, but added: “However, there is still a very important body of work to define exactly which products will be allowed and how they will be regulated.”

He added: “Any move to restrict medical cannabis in the UK to a very narrow range of derived products, each requiring full pharmaceutical trials, thereby blocking out the many products available overseas, will lead to great disappointment and be a missed opportunity.”

Before the changes are brought in, clinicians can still apply to the independent expert panel on behalf of patients who want access to medicinal cannabis products.
The UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid announces that medicinal cannabis products are to be legalized by the end of this year, allowing cannabis treatments to be legally prescribed by specialist doctors following several high profile cases.