Medical cannabis: 'False hope' after Home Office decision

[Northerner]

"We so desperately want the medicinal cannabis. It could alleviate some of his pain."

It has been the plea by the parents of 16-year-old Bailey Williams, from Cardiff, who has severe epilepsy.

But Rachel Rankmore and Craig Williams said their son's consultant would not apply for the cannabis-based drugs on his behalf.

Cardiff and Vale University Health board said: "We always act in the best interests of patients."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-45788002

 

[mikeyB]

“We always act in the best interests of patients”. No they don’t. The best thing for this lad is a trial of medicinal cannabis. If it doesn’t work, so be it. If it does, then the health board will be lauded across the world.

Every doctor or consultant I see, I demonstrate how non THC (or at least very low) cannabis oil stops my tremor. And they send letters to my GP commenting that cannabis helps. There’s no condemnation at all. So why the dichotomy?

It’s just political. If cannabis were reclassified as Schedule 2 there would be no problem. You can’t do medical trials without that reclassification, and without clinical trials there is no motive or justification to prescribe.

Alcohol, a much more dangerous drug, is freely available. Go figure.

 

[Northerner]

I agree. If it gives him some relief then it should be given Stupid law, but the government has gone quiet on this as the focus has been taken off it, like most other things these days things get quietly forgotten

 

[Hepato-pancreato]

Cannabis is a class b drug. Heroin morphine are class a’s. Can’t see the reason they are against its use.

 

[mikeyB]

It might be a class b drug in law, but it’s Scedule 1 for medical/prescription reasons, that is, no known medical effect or benefit.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

It might be a class b drug in law, but it’s Scedule 1 for medical/prescription reasons, that is, no known medical effect or benefit.

Still stupid that the decision isn't just a medical one. If there's no benefit then we shouldn't use it, but we shouldn't be using it because it doesn't have a benefit, not because it's an otherwise banned drug.

(Also seems odd that we're fine with manufacturing the drugs here for overseas use even though we're sure they're of no value.)