Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the recommendation of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs that medicinal cannabis products be moved out of Schedule 1 and into Schedule 2 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations, how long it will take to reclassify the medicinal cannabis oil used by Alfie Dingley and Billy Caldwell; and whether he plans to ensure that all patients who might benefit from such treatment will be able to access medicinal cannabis by the time the House returns from its summer recess.

Following the short term ACMD advice, the Home Secretary has confirmed that cannabis-derived medicinal products will be rescheduled. This means that senior clinicians will be able to prescribe the medicines to patients with an exceptional clinical need.

The Department of Health and Social Care and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency will now develop a clear definition of what constitutes a cannabis-derived medicinal product. Only products meeting this definition will be rescheduled. Other forms of cannabis will be kept under strict controls and will not be available on prescription. We will provide more details about this definition and the kinds of products that will be covered in due course.

The Home Secretary has been clear that speed is of the essence and the products will be available on prescription in the autumn.