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Written Question
Cannabis
Monday 26th February 2024

Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been prosecuted for possession of cannabis since 1 January 2020.

Answered by Gareth Bacon - Shadow Minister and Shadow Minister for London

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on prosecutions for possession of cannabis, covering the period requested and this can be viewed in the following data tool:

Navigate to ‘Prosecutions and Convictions’ tab, and use the ‘Offence’ filter to select ‘92E.01 Possession of a controlled drug - Class B (cannabis)’ and ‘92E.02 Possession of a controlled drug - Class C (cannabis)’.

Within the pivot tool, you can select specific quarters and years to show the period of interest.


Written Question
Cannabis: Mental Health
Thursday 14th March 2024

Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Independent review of drugs by Professor Dame Carol Black, if his Department will commission further research on the potential impact of the use of (a) skunk and (b) all other cannabis on levels of psychosis.

Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary

Dame Carol Black’s independent review of drugs noted that cannabis poses a large number of health risks, including psychological and respiratory disorders, particularly given increases in potency. There is a growing body of evidence that indicates a link between cannabis and psychosis which underlines the importance of our approach to tackling its misuse. Cannabis continues to be the most commonly used drug and around 21% of adults starting drug treatment between 2021 and 2022 said they had a problem with cannabis use.

For this reason, cannabis is controlled under Class B of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. There is clear scientific and medical evidence that cannabis is a harmful drug which can damage people’s mental and physical health, and harms people and communities.

At the UK Drugs Ministerial in November 2023, the latest research findings into the links between cannabis and psychosis were presented by a leading academic and those findings are informing policy making. The department has no current plans to commission further research into the links between cannabis and psychosis but continues to keep all drugs under review and will consider all evidence as appropriate.


Scottish Cross Party Group Publication (Annual return / report)
Source Page: Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Medicinal Cannabis
Document: Annual Return Form 2021 to 2022 (PDF)

Found: Cross -Party Group Annual Return Name of Cross -Party Group : Medicinal Cannabis Cross -Party


Written Question
Epilepsy: Cannabis
Monday 11th March 2024

Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department plans to take in the next year to help ensure that children with severe epilepsy can access effective cannabis-based medications through the NHS.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson

The licensed cannabis-based medicine epidyolex is prescribed routinely for three forms of epilepsy, for patients aged two years old and above. However, clinical guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence demonstrate a clear need for more evidence to support routine prescribing and funding decisions for unlicensed cannabis-based medicines.

We continue to call on the manufacturers of these products to conduct research, and we are working with regulatory, research, and National Health Service partners to establish clinical trials to test the safety and efficacy of these products, to enable evidence based prescribing decisions.


Non-Departmental Publication (News and Communications)
Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs

Oct. 23 2024

Source Page: ACMD advice on reform to hemp licensing fees
Document: (PDF)

Found: Both hemp and traditional herbal cannabis are derived from the plant species Cannabis sativa L .


Departmental Publication (Transparency)
Ministry of Defence

Aug. 09 2024

Source Page: FOI responses published by MOD: week commencing 5 August 2024
Document: (PDF)

Found: 2000: MINISTRY OF DEFENCE POLICE : POLICY AND PROCEDURE FOR THE VERIFICATION OF PRESCRIBED MEDICAL CANNABIS


Non-Departmental Publication (Research and Statistics)
HM Prison and Probation Service

Jul. 25 2024

Source Page: HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2023 to March 2024
Document: (ODS)

Found: " includes finds of both Cannabis and Cannabis Plant and "Cocaine" includes finds of both Cocaine and


Scottish Cross Party Group Publication (Annual return / report)
Source Page: Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Medicinal Cannabis
Document: 2021 Registration form (PDF)

Found: Cross -Party Group Registration Form Name of Cross -Party Group CPG Medicinal Cannabis Purpose


MP Financial Interest
George Freeman (Conservative - Mid Norfolk)
Original Source (4th August 2024)
1. Employment and earnings
Role, work or services: Strategic Advisor to the Cannabinoid Research and Development Group (CRDG) at the Centre for Medicinal Cannabis (CMC).
From: 5 April 2024.
Payer: The Centre for Medicinal Cannabis (CMC). (CMC is a not for profit industry membership organisation focused on clinical research and development of cannabinoid medicines. The Centre has three platforms with the following trading names: The Association for the Cannabinoid Industry (ACI), which relates to cannabinoids as a food ingredient; The Medical Cannabis Alliance (MCA), which is for Cannabis Based Medical Products; and Cannabinoid Research and Development Group (CRDG).), 10 Queen Street Place, London, England, EC4R 1BE.
ACOBA consulted: Yes
(Registered 29 July 2024)

Closed Petition closed 30th May 2024

Change legal limit for driving with cannabis in your blood - Final Signatures: 42

I believe the legal limit for driving with cannabis in your blood needs to be changed to 10-15 micrograms per litre of blood. This should apply for both medical and recreational users.

Found: Change legal limit for driving with cannabis in your blood