Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy in regard to the use of cannabis for medical purposes.

No assessment has been made by the Government of the potential medicinal benefits of cannabis. Cannabis in its raw form is not authorised as a medicinal product in the United Kingdom.

Sativex Oromucosal Spray, which contains extracts of cannabis (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol as the major active components), is the only medicine produced from the cannabis plant that is approved as a medicinal product in the UK. Sativex is licensed for use in treating spasticity in multiple sclerosis and was approved on 16 June 2010.

Sativex is being investigated in a small number of clinical trials in the UK for the treatment of a range of conditions including cancer related pain, spasticity due to multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy, ulcerative colitis and impacted tooth extraction. Other clinical trials – using different compounds (cannabinoids) are also ongoing for different conditions.

The Government has not turned down any application for cannabis to be used as a medicine in the UK, but no application to obtain a licence for cannabis or a related product other than Sativex has been made to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).