Mum takes f ight for cannabis on the NHS to No10 to help ill son, 5
A DESPERATE Scots mother yesterday delivered a petition to Downing Street calling for the legalised prescription of medical cannabis.
Karen Gray believes cannabidiol, an oil derived from the cannabis plant, could be used to treat her five-year-old son who has a rare form of epilepsy.
The condition means Murray Gray suffers multiple seizures every day and spends most of his life lying in a hospital bed shaking.
More than 160,000 people signed her petition calling for medical cannabis to be available on the NHS, enough to trigger a parliamentary debate.
The treatment is legally available online, but Mrs Gray, from Edinburgh, said she wants the right to obtain it from a doctor to make sure her son is being treated safely.
Murray has a condition known as Doose syndrome or myoclonic astatic epilepsy. His 43-year-old mother said: ‘Murray is constantly having seizures. The other day he had 13 big seizures throughout the day and 50 small seizures in an hour. It’s horrific.
‘There is no medicine available to us to stop that. This treatment has been used in other countries and is known to work so it should be the next step.
‘It would be easy to get cannabidiol online but I don’t want to do that because Murray is only five. I need medical guidance and he needs assessed.’
Another alternative Mrs Gray is considering is a temporary move to the Netherlands, where the treatment is prescribed.
The oil is thought to have significant health benefits but does not contain the psychoactive effects of cannabis.
A number of online companies supply cannabis derivative cannabidiol, also known as CBD, legally to customers suffering from a range of health conditions.
Scottish Liberal Democrat politicians are backing Mrs Gray. MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton said: ‘I think it is ridiculous that Karen’s son is being denied the one therapy that could offer him a ray of hope.
‘Karen, I am quite sure, will get him the therapy he needs but that may mean him having to travel to the Netherlands.
‘That is a ridiculous outcome for something that actually should be readily available for him, has proven benefits and is far safer than many of the drugs that we offer epilepsy patients.’
Mrs Gray is also due to meet Scottish Health Secretary Shona Robison who has said she has ‘every sympathy’ for the family. However, regulation for the licensing of medicines is reserved to Westminster.
A Home Office spokesman said: ‘We recognise that people with chronic pain and debilitating illnesses are looking to alleviate their symptoms.
‘However, it is important that medicines are thoroughly tested to ensure they meet rigorous standards before being placed on the market.’
‘Therapy could offer him hope’