Hunt: Change the law on cannabis oil
Call after epileptic Billy’s agony
HEALTH secretary Jeremy Hunt admitted yesterday the Government was not “getting the law right” on medicinal cannabis oil use.
He seemed at odds with Prime Minister Theresa May as rather than moving towards legalisation, officials instead announced an expert panel would review individual cases.
It follows epilepsy sufferer Billy Caldwell, 12, fighting for his life after the Home Office confiscated drugs his mum brought back from Canada. He has since been given a 20-day supply and was yesterday discharged from hospital.
Campaigners’ pleas to review the law were refused yesterday but policing minister Nick Hurd revealed the partial U-turn of appointing the panel.
Mr Hunt had said earlier: “I don’t think
anyone who followed that story could sensibly say that we are getting the law on this kind of thing right. I think everyone feels for the lady concerned, and of course there are many, many other people in that situation.”
Cannabis oil containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has been shown to stop up to 100 potentially deadly seizures a night in severely epileptic children such as Billy.
Mrs May reportedly refused to discuss the issue during her morning Cabinet
meeting. Later she said she poured cold water on calls for the law to be reviewed.
The PM said the option already existed to provide licences for medical use of cannabis on clinical advice.
“Do we need to look at these cases and consider what we’ve got in place? Yes,” she continued. “But what needs to drive us in all these cases has to be what clinicians are saying about these issues.
“There’s a very good reason why we’ve got a set of rules around cannabis and other drugs, because of the impact that they have on people’s livest.”
Charlotte, from Castlederg, County Tyrone, launched a publicity campaign to shame the Home Office after a year’s supply of the drug she bought in Canada was confiscated at Heathrow airport.
Many other countries, including much of the US, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, have legalised the substance’s
use medicinally. But under British law, cannabis is listed as a schedule 1 drug, meaning that it is not recognised as having a therapeutic value.
Charlotte said: “The Government was panicked into action when my son was rushed to hospital but ultimately, they have responded very encouragingly.
“The speed with which Billy came back from the edge was testament to the effectiveness of the meds.
“But it’s not over yet for the hundreds of families who are also affected.”
Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott said Labour supported the legal prescription of medicinal cannabis oil.
She added: “Children have been put at risk and experienced extraordinary suffering because this Government drags its heels. This must not continue.”
THERESA May should stop gambling recklessly with lives and review the law on medical cannabis so that the drug is supplied to people who need it.
Inventing a phantom Brexit “dividend” and NHS spending that would leave the health service ailing are big mistakes but the Prime Minister also stumbles over decisions that are important to smaller groups of people.
For her to contradict Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt when he admitted the law is not right is the dead hand of Downing Street creating unnecessary mayhem. The distressing case of epilepsy sufferer Billy Caldwell highlights the value of common sense decisions.
Reviewing the law is not about legalising all drugs. That is another debate. This is about saving the lives of the likes of Billy.
Theresa May must drop her prejudices and do what is best for some very sick people.