MP calls on Rudd to help epileptic boy
● MP says family of boy suffering 12 fits a day need aid from Home Office
An MP has called on Home Secretary Amber Rudd to intervene in the case of a five-year-old epilepsy sufferer whose mother says cannabis oil is the only treatment that can help him.
Christine Jardine asked for clarity on the use of Cannabidiol oil on behalf of Karen Gray, from Edinburgh, whose son Murray suffers up to 12 seizures a day.
An Edinburgh MP has called on the Home Office to step in and resolve the case of a fiveyear-old with epilepsy whose mother says cannabis oil is the only treatment that can ease his suffering.
The Scotsman revealed how Karen Gray, whose son Murray suffers up to 12 seizures a day, has “hit a brick wall” in her attempts convince the NHS to provide Cannabidiol (CBD) oil to treat him.
Cannabis-based medicines are banned in the UK, and regulation of their use is reserved to Westminster.
The appeal follows publication attention on the case of six-year-old Alfie Dingley, from Kenilworth in Warwickshire, whose parents are seeking a licence that will allow him to use CBD to help deal with his up to 30 seizures a day.
Ms Gray’s MP, Christine Jardine, has now called on the Home Office to clarify rules for health boards across the UK, so that all those who need cannabis oil products are able to access them.
In a written parliamentary question, Ms Jardine has asked Home Secretary Amber Rudd to set out “what steps have been taken to make the substance accessible for those who need it for the management of chronic and terminal illness”.
The Liberal Democrat MP said she was “delighted” that a special licence was under consideration for Alfie Dingley, but added that “more needs to be done” to clarify the position for other families.
She said: “My constituent Murray Gray is in a very similar situation but still cannot access the medication he needs or the medical advice that his mother wants on cannabis oil. We need clarity for all health boards and changes in the law to allow medical use of cannabis.
“I have asked the Home Secretary to clarify the legal position on cannabis-based medicinal products and to expedite special licences for children, indeed everyone, like Alfie and Murray, so that they can receive the life-changing medication they need.”
A 370,000-signature petition on behalf of Alfie Dingley – who responded to cannabis oil treatment in the Netherlands – has been submitted at Westminster, calling for cannabis oil products to be made legal in the UK for medical purposes. Ms Gray said there is a “one in a hundred chance that Murray could die from a seizure”, and asked The Scotsman to publish a distressing video of her son suffering a seizure in order to raise awareness.
Murray’s family has also received the backing of the Scottish Government, which has asked for rules around the medical use of cannabis to be devolved to Scotland.