Epilepsy: Cannabis

(asked on 2nd July 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government why there have been no new full extract cannabis oil prescriptions by the NHS since the medicinal use of the drug was legalised 18 months ago; and whether they will review current prescribing guidelines to enable its wider use for children with rare forms of treatment resistant epilepsy.


Answered by
Lord Bethell Portrait
Lord Bethell
This question was answered on 17th July 2020

The Government changed the law. Specialist doctors can prescribe medicinal cannabis where clinically appropriate and in the best interests of patients.

The clinical guidelines, developed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, demonstrate a clear need for more evidence to support routine prescribing and funding decisions of unlicensed cannabis-based medicines for rare forms of treatment-resistant epilepsy.

NHS England and NHS Improvement have been clear that guidance is just that and decisions on the treatment of individual patients are for the treating clinicians. The Chief Medical Officer and NHS England and NHS Improvement have written to clinicians to clarify the procedure for prescribing and supplying these products and signposted further support material.

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