The reclassification of the drug is a revolutionary one that will see specialised hospital doctors (not GPs) allowed to prescribe medicinal cannabis to a small number of patients in certain serious cases, where other medical treatments have failed. A limited number of people suffering from some types of MS, undergoing chemotherapy or suffering from chronic pain will be allowed to access the drug only if there is clear evidence it will have benefits. It can only be obtained for patients in England, Wales and Scotland (not Northern Ireland) if they have been prescribed by a specialist hospital doctor rather than a GP. Alfie Dingley's mum, Hannah Deacon, said the guidelines meant people would struggle to access the oil her son had been given because scientific studies had not been carried out on the treatment. Cannabis is still illegal for recreational use

Cannabis remains a Class B drug and people found in possession can receive an unlimited fine and up to five years in jail. Treatments may be prescribed in cases of:
• Adults with vomiting or nausea caused by chemotherapy treatment

The recreational use of cannabis remains illegal. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), which carried out the second part of the review, then said doctors should be able to prescribe medicinal cannabis provided products meet safety standards. It outlines that it may only be prescribed where there is a "clinical need which cannot be met by a licensed medicine and where established treatment options have been exhausted". The treatments can be prescribed only by specialist doctors in a limited number of circumstances where other medicines have failed. GPs will not be able to prescribe medical cannabis, only specialist doctors will be able to 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. Instead, doctors “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.”

Psychiatrist and government drugs adviser Dr. Derek Tracy highlighted pain, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy as “obvious early candidates” for treatment with cannabis. While both boys were given special licences to medicinal cannabis oil prior to today's change in the law, the path has now been paved for others who need it to have legal access to the treatment. In early October, Home Secretary Sajid Javid announced a decision to reschedule the products, relaxing the rules around the circumstances in which they can be given to patients, after considering expert advice from a specially commissioned review.
Medical cannabis becomes legal in the United Kingdom as the National Health Service can now prescribe it to some patients, including those with cancer, severe forms of epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis.