The UK could legalize the therapeutic use of cannabis

Following the high-profile cases of Alfie Dingley and Billy Caldwell, The Home Secretary Sajid Javid has announced the re-evaluation of cannabis and its derivatives in the classification of drugs. Cannabis is currently in class 1, which lists substances of no medical interest. Consequently, it is not possible to possess or sell it (except under exceptional circumstances), and only GW pharmaceuticals has the right to sell it. to produce Sativex and Epidiolex.

A necessary reassessment

The evaluation is divided into two parts: the first will determine which cannabis-based medicines have real therapeutic value, and the second will specify what changes need to be made to the current classification. If the benefits identified are significant enough, the classification will be changed.

The government's health advisor, Sally Davies, has already issued a report stating that there is conclusive evidence of the therapeutic effect of cannabis in the treatment of illnesses such as chronic pain, various scleroses and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Cannabis could also prove useful against sleep disorders.

Moreover, there were already exceptions that called into question the relevance of the classification. Sativex, which contains CBD and THC, had been authorized and classified as category 4, and a license for medical cannabis had already been granted to Alfie Dingley and Billy Caldwell had been given his cannabis oil treatment, containing THC, accompanied by a 20-day license. It is indeed possible to apply for access to a cannabis-based substance from the Home Office, but as MP Andy McDonald, whose son died following an epileptic seizure, describes it, it's a tortuous process.

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Diane Abbott, Home Secretary of the Shadow Cabinet (the opposition party in Parliament), welcomed the announcement, but felt it was long overdue.

In the same vein, Lady Meacher, Chair of the Parliamentary Group for Drug Policy Reform, called two years ago for the legalization of cannabis-based medicines. She compares them to morphine, which she says is more dangerous, more addictive and has more side effects.

Following former Conservative Party leader William Hague's call to legalize recreational use, the Home Office clarified that the steps being taken were for therapeutic use only, and in no way a first step towards legalizing recreational use.