Parliamentarians back cannabis for medical use

13th September 2016 – MPs and peers are calling on the government to change the law to legalise cannabis for medical use.

The cross-party group of parliamentarians says cannabis as a form of medicine should be viewed separately from its popularity as a recreational drug.

Comprehensive review

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) carried out a 7-month inquiry into the issue. To help it inform its conclusions, it commissioned a review by Dr Michael P Barnes, honorary professor of neurological rehabilitation at Newcastle University and Dr Jennifer C Barnes, a clinical psychologist at Northumberland, Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust.

The group also took evidence from 623 patients, representatives of the medical professions and people with knowledge of how medical cannabis is regulated across the world.

The Group says it amounts to the most comprehensive review of evidence worldwide on the issue. It concludes that there is good evidence that medical cannabis helps alleviate the symptoms of chronic pain, including neuropathic pain, and spasticity, which is often associated with multiple sclerosis (MS).

It also found evidence that it can help ease nausea and vomiting, particularly in the context of chemotherapy, and also help in the management of anxiety.

However, cannabis is a Class B drug. As such, anyone in possession can face on-the-spot fines for a small amount or a jail sentence for larger quantities. It is also classified as a schedule 1 drug, meaning it is considered to have no medicinal benefit. Both these restrictions make it very difficult, although not impossible, to undertake studies of cannabis, and in the UK have clearly hampered research.

'The results are clear'

Professor Barnes says in a statement: "We analysed over 20,000 scientific and medical reports. The results are clear. Cannabis has a medical benefit for a wide range of conditions.

"I believe that with greater research, it has the potential to help with an even greater number of conditions. But this research is being stifled by the government’s current classification of cannabis as having no medical benefit."

The report points out that if used at an early age, there is probably a small link between cannabis and schizophrenia and if the individual has a genetic predisposition to psychosis.

Medications containing cannabis, including nabiximols, can be prescribed in the UK to people with certain conditions, including pain and other symptoms of MS.

The pressure group End Our Pain estimates that around a million people in the UK are taking cannabis for medical reasons.

'No plans' to legalise cannabis: Government

Commenting on the report in an emailed statement, a Home Office spokesperson says: "This Government has no plans to legalise cannabis. There is a substantial body of scientific and medical evidence to show that cannabis is a harmful drug which can damage people's mental and physical health.

"It is important that medicines are thoroughly trialled to ensure they meet rigorous standards before being placed on the market. There is a clear regime in place, administered by the Medicines and Healthcare Products regulatory Agency to enable medicines, including those containing controlled drugs, to be developed."