Medical Cannabis: Alleviation of Health Conditions

Ms. West congratulated Mr. Cowan on securing cross-party support for the debate, expressing encouragement at the potential curative effects of various elements of medical cannabis in treating serious forms of epilepsy.

Ms. Greenwood congratulated Mr. Cowan and highlighted the urgency of addressing access to medical cannabis due to cases like her constituent, who suffers from progressive myelopathy affecting his mobility and causing severe pain and fatigue.

Highlights the missed opportunity for pain control, end-of-life care, and bioscience development due to inadequate regulation. Criticises current NHS barriers and lack of medical education on cannabis-based medicines. Advocates for a risk-based access system and better regulatory framework. Calls for an office for drug control to facilitate inter-departmental collaboration.

Questions the difficulty faced by the Government in resolving medical cannabis issues, drawing parallels with outdated pain management policies from 35 years ago.

Congratulates the hon. Members on securing and contributing to the debate, highlights the impact of cannabis-based treatments for treatment-resistant epilepsy in children, discusses the challenges faced by families in accessing NHS prescriptions, mentions the importance of training clinicians and addressing barriers at higher authority levels, proposes a private Member’s Bill to address the issue, and emphasises the need for new approaches to evidence gathering and medical approvals.

I thank Ronnie Cowan for securing the debate. I share my story of a constituent named Karen Grey whose son Murray has significantly benefitted from cannabis oil after severe seizures. However, issues persist with prescription continuity and the lack of GPs willing to prescribe due to policy constraints. I emphasise that clinical trials are unsuitable for cannabis oil as stated by NHS reports and urge the government to consider observational trials or use discretionary funding while these solutions are implemented.

I commend the debate on medicinal cannabis access. I highlight Lara Smith, a constituent who suffered from severe health issues and found significant relief through Bedrocan prescribed by her pain management consultant. Despite improvements, she faced numerous challenges including travel to Holland for medication and costly private prescriptions due to NHS procurement guidelines against cannabinoids. Currently, synthetic alternatives are available but less effective and more expensive. I trust the new Minister will push for necessary changes given the overwhelming support across parties.

The debate is a consensual and informative one with contributions from all parts of the House. The speaker emphasises the importance of medical cannabis for people suffering from chronic pain, anxiety, insomnia and other conditions. He highlights his personal experience with arthritis as an insight into the issue and stresses that outdated thinking should not hold back progress on medical cannabis. In Stirling, Scotland's first medical cannabis prescribing clinic has had success since March 2023, having treated over 1,000 patients. The speaker suggests that bringing all cannabis prescriptions into the NHS drug dictionary would allow for better assessment and analysis of current prescription levels.

Progress in making cannabis-based medical products available to those who need them has been slow. The debate highlights the need for better research, improved engagement with clinicians, and immediate relief for families currently suffering due to inaccessible treatments. Alex Norris also calls on the Minister to address the specific case of Jorja Emerson's father, Robin Emerson, who is awaiting a response from the Secretary of State and Prime Minister regarding his request for intervention.

I congratulate the hon. Member for Inverclyde on bringing forward this debate and express sympathy for patients' struggles to access medical cannabis. I emphasise that while there is patient demand, much evidence suggesting cannabis efficacy is anecdotal. There are currently two licensed cannabis-based products in the UK. The Government changed the law but the main factor hindering prescription of these drugs is licensing. We need researchers to come forward with clinical trials and discuss with MHRA what research would be acceptable. Observational studies may also be used, but ultimately, we must wait for further evidence and results from clinical trials.

[INTERVENTION] I respect my hon. Friend's point about licensing progress, but this is about thinking imaginatively to work our way through the problems to the right solution, as was needed for Orkambi.

[INTERVENTION] The argument would carry more weight if testing outlined a timeline and plan for concluding the testing programme rather than letting things drift aimlessly.

[INTERVENTION] Research institutes are restricted in what they can do because medical cannabis is classified as category 2. If it was category 4, life would be simpler for them.

[INTERVENTION] Who would offer a child who is on medication that stops them having 100 seizures a day a random test that potentially contains a placebo?

[INTERVENTION] The argument brings us back to the fact that children are already benefiting from the drugs. Even NHS has asked whether an alternative trial, such as an observational one, would not be beneficial.

[INTERVENTION] Could the Government appoint a lead clinician for this issue to give clinicians across the UK confidence and drive the issue forward at pace?

Mr Cowan thanked everyone for attending the debate and asked the Minister to review recent information from the British Pain Network Association (BPNA). He expressed concern that this information might make prescribing medical cannabis more difficult. Mr Cowan highlighted the rapid development of the covid vaccine, urging a similar sense of urgency for the use of medical cannabis. He acknowledged the support of parents and others watching the debate who had been texting him with questions throughout the session.