Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to transfer responsibility for policy and governance relating to cannabis-based medicinal products to the Department for Health and Social Care; and what assessment they have made of the impact of that transfer on regulatory barriers, clinical research and patient access through the NHS.

The Home Office is the lead department for controlled drug legislation, whilst the Department of Health and Social Care and its Arm's Length Bodies lead on healthcare and the regulation of medicines. The Government has no plans to change this.

The Department of Health and Social Care and the Home Office work closely with other system partners in developing and reviewing policy on controlled drugs in healthcare, including cannabis-based products for medicinal use (CBPMs).

The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England are taking an evidenced-based approach to the access of CBPMs. Since the law changed in 2018 to allow the lawful access to unlicensed CBPMs, two licensed cannabis-based medicines have been made available for prescribing on the National Health Service for patients with multiple sclerosis or hard to treat epilepsies and tuberous sclerosis, where clinically appropriate. This follows approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

NICE has assessed the available evidence, concluding that there is a clear need for more evidence to support routine prescribing and funding decisions of unlicensed CBPMs. NHS funding decisions follow established procedures that ensure equitable distribution of funding, prioritising those medicines that have proved their safety, quality, and clinical and cost effectiveness.

On the 2 June, the Government asked the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), a statutory independent scientific advisory body that advises the Government on drug-related issues, to review the effect of the 2018 law change, and to look at whether it has had the desired impact, and whether there are any unintended consequences. The Government will carefully consider the ACMD’s advice prior to making any decisions.