A LEADING neurologist has attacked confusion surrounding treatments which contain cannabis-based ingredients after they were classed as medicines by UK regulators.
Professor Mike Barnes, co-author of an All-Party Parliamentary report on medical cannabis, warned the classification will mean manufacturers will now have to show products containing cannabidiol or CBD meet MHRA safety and quality standards.
He raised concern that patients who have used the treatments to help with symptoms may not be able to access them just as their potential benefits have been recognised.
In the near future anyone selling CBD products in the UK without a licence from the MHRA could face a fine and, potentially, prison.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is known to back moves to decriminalise cannabis for medical use in Scotland. She is said to have made it clear she wants drugs policy devolved to Holyrood so the law can be relaxed.
Professor Barnes, from Tyneside, said: "If the MRHA and the UK government now consider that cannabis-derived CBD is a medicine, this is incompatible with the continuing Schedule 1 status of cannabis under the Misuse of Drugs Act that clearly states that cannabis has no medicinal value. The decision by the MRHA to treat CBD products as medicines has also been done without thought to the consequences for many thousands of people in the UK who currently benefit from the products. It will have very significant and in many cases terminal impact on the many legitimate businesses that provide high quality products."
Professor Barnes has called for Westminster to sort out the confusion, to "try to help those people with long term and often painful conditions who benefit from the ready and hitherto legal availability of natural cannabis products."
He added: "It is ironic that in acknowledging the therapeutic benefits of CBD, the MRHA is effectively suspending access to a product that has enhanced the lives of thousands for many years".
The SNP's Ayr North branch had a motion accepted for debate at the SNP party conference calling for the power to decriminalise cannabis for medical use to be devolved to Holyrood. They argue that "a humane society should facilitate the pain relief of individuals with certain conditions in a sensible and compassionate way".
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here