Licensing of cannabis for boy may signal law review

The British government is considering reviewing laws on the use of medicinal cannabis after the Home Secretary intervened to help treat a chronically-ill boy suffering life-threatening fits, The Sunday Telegraph can disclose.

Sajid Javid took the unusual step yesterday of licensing a batch of cannabis oil, which is illegal in the UK, to treat Billy Caldwell, 12, who suffers from violent epileptic episodes, and had a batch of the medicine seized by the Home Office last week.

In a move Charlotte Caldwell, 50, his mother, hailed as ‘‘historic’’, the consignment of the drug which she had brought from Canada but was then confiscated at Heathrow Airport, was returned for doctors to administer to her son. The oil, which contains THC, was rushed to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London where Billy was being treated yesterday.

A Whitehall source said: ‘‘Cases such as this obviously raise questions about the UK licensing regime, particularly when other advanced economies like Canada are able to licence certain products. There is a concern that we’re behind the curve on this, which is why it would make sense to consider a review.’’

Javid said he had used an ‘‘exceptional power’’ in a ‘‘complex situation’’ to issue a licence for the medicine to be used.

Ms Caldwell had said she would hold the Home Office responsible if her son died. Ms Caldwell, from Castlederg, Northern Ireland, claimed Billy had not had a fit for more than 250 days after taking the oil for 19 months.

Ms Caldwell’s GP in Northern Ireland had been prescribing it, but he had been told that he risked being reprimanded. – Sunday Telegraph