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camera, for inside number ten, BBC
Parliament, Sunday at 8am. | 0:00:00 | 0:00:04 | |
Parliament, Sunday at 8am. | 0:00:04 | 0:00:04 | |
Order. Urgent question. I'm here to
ask the Home Secretary if you make a | 0:00:28 | 0:00:36 | |
statement on the case of Alfie
Bingley, whose parents and doctors | 0:00:36 | 0:00:41 | |
are seeking treatment for epilepsy.
Mr Speaker, let me start by saying | 0:00:41 | 0:00:49 | |
that I personally, and the
Government sympathise deeply with | 0:00:49 | 0:00:52 | |
the situation faced by Alfie and his
family. I think everyone on all | 0:00:52 | 0:00:59 | |
sides of the House and outside it
will both understand and respect the | 0:00:59 | 0:01:04 | |
desire of the family to try to
alleviate his suffering in any way | 0:01:04 | 0:01:09 | |
possible. And I can assure my friend
that we want to help try and find a | 0:01:09 | 0:01:17 | |
solution within the existing
regulation. He will know, and you | 0:01:17 | 0:01:20 | |
will note that the current situation
is that cannabis in its raw form is | 0:01:20 | 0:01:25 | |
not recognised in the UK as having
any medicinal benefits. It is | 0:01:25 | 0:01:30 | |
therefore listed as a schedule one
drug under the misuse of drugs | 0:01:30 | 0:01:36 | |
regulations 2001. This means it is
unlawful to possess raw cannabis | 0:01:36 | 0:01:43 | |
unless it is for the purposes of
research. Products must be | 0:01:43 | 0:01:47 | |
thoroughly tested in the UK to
provide the necessary assurances of | 0:01:47 | 0:01:51 | |
their eighth cacique, quality and
safety. And we do have a clear | 0:01:51 | 0:01:55 | |
regime in place which is
administered by the medicines and | 0:01:55 | 0:01:58 | |
health care products agency, to
enable medicines, including those | 0:01:58 | 0:02:05 | |
containing controlled drugs such as
cannabis to be developed, licensed | 0:02:05 | 0:02:08 | |
and made available for medicinal use
to patients in the UK. As happened | 0:02:08 | 0:02:13 | |
in the case, my honourable friend
knows the Home Office will consider | 0:02:13 | 0:02:18 | |
issuing a licence to enable trials
of any new medicine under schedule | 0:02:18 | 0:02:23 | |
one to the misuse of drugs
regulations 2001, providing it | 0:02:23 | 0:02:27 | |
complies with the appropriate at
approvals. Cannabis based products | 0:02:27 | 0:02:32 | |
should be treated in the same way as
all other drugs, meaning that they | 0:02:32 | 0:02:35 | |
should go through the normal testing
procedures applied to any other | 0:02:35 | 0:02:39 | |
medicines. The current situation is
outside of research and we would not | 0:02:39 | 0:02:43 | |
issue licenses for the personal
consumption of cannabis because it | 0:02:43 | 0:02:47 | |
is listed as a schedule one drug.
However, we are aware of differing | 0:02:47 | 0:02:53 | |
approaches in other countries and
continue to monitor the World Health | 0:02:53 | 0:02:56 | |
organisation's expert committee on
drug dependence, which has committed | 0:02:56 | 0:03:00 | |
to reviewing the use of medicinal
cannabis and wait until the outcome | 0:03:00 | 0:03:05 | |
of the review before considering any
next steps. And also am aware that a | 0:03:05 | 0:03:10 | |
private member Buzz Nabel, before he
starts chattering, introduced by | 0:03:10 | 0:03:15 | |
member from Newport West will get
the House a further opportunity to | 0:03:15 | 0:03:18 | |
debate the wider policy. The whole
House will understand it is a | 0:03:18 | 0:03:24 | |
natural desire prepared to do
everything they can to make sure | 0:03:24 | 0:03:27 | |
that their children did not suffer
unnecessarily. But we also need to | 0:03:27 | 0:03:32 | |
make sure that the cannabis is
subjected to the same revelatory | 0:03:32 | 0:03:35 | |
framework that applies to all
medicines in the UK. We must ensure | 0:03:35 | 0:03:38 | |
that only medicines and been tested
for their safety to the correct | 0:03:38 | 0:03:42 | |
standard are prescribed for UK
children. I think my friend for his | 0:03:42 | 0:03:49 | |
determination at the beginning of
his response in this article is | 0:03:49 | 0:03:53 | |
about who is going to find a
solution to this? Another loss we | 0:03:53 | 0:03:57 | |
welcome my right honourable friend,
the Attorney General. The MP who is | 0:03:57 | 0:04:02 | |
working hard and privately on his
behalf. I would hope that the Home | 0:04:02 | 0:04:06 | |
Office is going to find a way to
cease standing behind a 1961 UN | 0:04:06 | 0:04:13 | |
scheduling of cannabis is having a
medicinal benefit whatsoever. He | 0:04:13 | 0:04:17 | |
mentioned the side effect, but of
course there are now 12, said the 50 | 0:04:17 | 0:04:21 | |
states in the EU and 29 states in
the USA and it is of Colombia who | 0:04:21 | 0:04:27 | |
live off the Onomah to licence the
medicinal use of cannabis. Is he | 0:04:27 | 0:04:29 | |
aware of the position of the
Republic of Ireland, who have a | 0:04:29 | 0:04:34 | |
legal framework similar to ours and
gave the Health Minister the | 0:04:34 | 0:04:37 | |
explicit power to licence the use of
this medicine in cases such as | 0:04:37 | 0:04:42 | |
Albie's. Of course, is position of
the Government that flies in the | 0:04:42 | 0:04:46 | |
face of popular view in the UK by
78% of people think we should find | 0:04:46 | 0:04:51 | |
some way of using cannabis based
medicine. Applicant most people | 0:04:51 | 0:04:56 | |
intuitively understand the pain and
symptom relief is available from | 0:04:56 | 0:05:00 | |
campus-based medicines. Here, we
note from the review of 2016 | 0:05:00 | 0:05:05 | |
commissioned by the all party poetry
group for Drupal also performed that | 0:05:05 | 0:05:09 | |
there is good peer-reviewed medicine
of the bitterness of cannabis and | 0:05:09 | 0:05:15 | |
medicines for conditions associated
with multiple sclerosis, | 0:05:15 | 0:05:17 | |
chemotherapy and epilepsy. And I
also do my right honourable friend | 0:05:17 | 0:05:22 | |
of the failure of the Government to
move from his current position with | 0:05:22 | 0:05:26 | |
its Alfie back to the steroid based
whom he was receiving before he went | 0:05:26 | 0:05:30 | |
to the Netherlands, which is likely
to give him early psychosis and a | 0:05:30 | 0:05:35 | |
premature death. It also means that
British citizens are being denied on | 0:05:35 | 0:05:39 | |
potential medical and its dramatic
benefits that could come from a | 0:05:39 | 0:05:43 | |
properly licensed regulated and
researched Access programme to | 0:05:43 | 0:05:47 | |
cannabis based medicines. If you do
not give people the licenses for | 0:05:47 | 0:05:51 | |
medical research, they were not the
products. And where and when I have | 0:05:51 | 0:05:54 | |
to rely on the wisdom of crowds and
illegally sourced and unreliable | 0:05:54 | 0:05:59 | |
products deliver on peer-reviewed
evidence based treatments produced | 0:05:59 | 0:06:03 | |
by pharmaceutical standards. I urge
my right honourable friend, who is | 0:06:03 | 0:06:08 | |
very far from being cruel and
heartless, as the rest of his | 0:06:08 | 0:06:11 | |
colleagues in the Home Office, to
have the beneficiaries of this drug | 0:06:11 | 0:06:14 | |
that will save Albie's life or for
his doctors can offer his family to | 0:06:14 | 0:06:19 | |
find a way to get a licence to treat
him and for him to instruct his | 0:06:19 | 0:06:30 | |
Is my right honourable friend from
the office asking the question and | 0:06:30 | 0:06:36 | |
not the health minister. This is an
open and shut case. I totally | 0:06:36 | 0:06:47 | |
respect the position he and I should
place of the record he's sitting | 0:06:47 | 0:06:54 | |
next to me in listening mode and can
I give him my reassurance as I do my | 0:06:54 | 0:07:01 | |
right honourable friend who was made
many representations to me about | 0:07:01 | 0:07:07 | |
half of Alfie and his family. It is
clear there are special | 0:07:07 | 0:07:15 | |
circumstances to this case which
need to be respected. I have | 0:07:15 | 0:07:21 | |
undertaken to me the family and I
will do that as quickly as possible. | 0:07:21 | 0:07:31 | |
I give that undertaking, he will
know and I know him well enough to | 0:07:31 | 0:07:39 | |
know he will understand the
importance of proceeding on an | 0:07:39 | 0:07:43 | |
evidence base basis particularly
where it concerns the safety of | 0:07:43 | 0:07:48 | |
drugs and the safety of children. We
have our positions, he's right it's | 0:07:48 | 0:07:52 | |
been established for a long time,
it's a position supported by expert | 0:07:52 | 0:07:56 | |
opinion however we are aware that
the position is shifting in other | 0:07:56 | 0:07:59 | |
countries. We monitor that closely
and we are aware cannabis is | 0:07:59 | 0:08:03 | |
extremely complex substance and the
WHO quite right you are looking at | 0:08:03 | 0:08:07 | |
it from every angle in terms of
getting an up-to-date view. All this | 0:08:07 | 0:08:12 | |
we are monitoring closely. However
our current position is what it is. | 0:08:12 | 0:08:19 | |
However as I have undertaken a lid
for every option within that to see | 0:08:19 | 0:08:22 | |
whether we can find a solution to
this extremely emotive case. There | 0:08:22 | 0:08:32 | |
has been a call for a administration
of cannabis to Alfie but the | 0:08:32 | 0:08:40 | |
government was examined the evidence
in this area both the benefits and | 0:08:40 | 0:08:46 | |
the support of medical cannabis. Our
policies must be based on evidence | 0:08:46 | 0:08:50 | |
not frightened of scary headlines or
chasing favourable ones only in that | 0:08:50 | 0:08:54 | |
way can this house come to an
informed decision on the way you | 0:08:54 | 0:08:59 | |
should issues. Alfie is a
six-year-old boy whose life is | 0:08:59 | 0:09:01 | |
blighted by an -- epileptic fits and
it's understandable his family | 0:09:01 | 0:09:06 | |
wanted to have any medication they
feel will help him. And they look to | 0:09:06 | 0:09:11 | |
us as politicians to facilitate
this. But we are constrained by | 0:09:11 | 0:09:14 | |
laws. Members supported of drugs
reform would like the Home Secretary | 0:09:14 | 0:09:20 | |
to issue a licence so that it
continues taking the medication but | 0:09:20 | 0:09:24 | |
the Home Office responded the drug
that cannot be prescribed | 0:09:24 | 0:09:30 | |
administered or supplied to the
public. Cannabis use is illegal in | 0:09:30 | 0:09:33 | |
this country, we do not dispute
this. However, we do need assurances | 0:09:33 | 0:09:37 | |
from the Minister that all the
evidence made into our case has been | 0:09:37 | 0:09:43 | |
looked at. All avenues of treatment
are being considered and we need | 0:09:43 | 0:09:47 | |
confidence that the Minister and his
colleagues are doing everything in | 0:09:47 | 0:09:51 | |
their power to ensure that Alfie has
the best possible quality of life. | 0:09:51 | 0:09:56 | |
And this case is the latest in the
long line of prominent examples that | 0:09:56 | 0:10:01 | |
have led to more cause of our
legislation to permit the medical | 0:10:01 | 0:10:05 | |
use of cannabis. Is it now time for
review of the lost so we can but it | 0:10:05 | 0:10:12 | |
supports those living in chronic
pain with long-term degenerative | 0:10:12 | 0:10:19 | |
conditions and those in the final
pages of life? Can I agree with the | 0:10:19 | 0:10:25 | |
honourable Lady that honesty should
of course be evidenced and I support | 0:10:25 | 0:10:32 | |
entirely the point she made that we
need to think very carefully on the | 0:10:32 | 0:10:35 | |
implications of everything we do
because things have consequences and | 0:10:35 | 0:10:41 | |
she's right as I said in my
statement outside of research we | 0:10:41 | 0:10:45 | |
would not issue licenses for the
personal consumption of cannabis | 0:10:45 | 0:10:48 | |
because it's listed as a schedule
one drug however I've also said as | 0:10:48 | 0:10:52 | |
in the case, the Home Office will
consider issuing a licence to | 0:10:52 | 0:10:59 | |
schedule one to the misuse of drugs
providing it comprises would be | 0:10:59 | 0:11:04 | |
appropriate effort. I'll add out
what I said before I undertake to | 0:11:04 | 0:11:08 | |
explore every option within the
existing rotation to see if we can | 0:11:08 | 0:11:11 | |
find a solution. Why not I support
the medical use of cannabis and I | 0:11:11 | 0:11:16 | |
think the government should be more
fleet of foot over this issue. A | 0:11:16 | 0:11:21 | |
sensible proposed amendment to the
law on a free vote in this house I | 0:11:21 | 0:11:24 | |
think would be carried. Can I thank
my honourable friend and I dispute | 0:11:24 | 0:11:36 | |
the allegations that the government
is not free to put and I said in my | 0:11:36 | 0:11:41 | |
statement we are aware things are
changing in the country and the WHO | 0:11:41 | 0:11:47 | |
is reviewing the evidence and we
will follow that's very closely | 0:11:47 | 0:11:51 | |
indeed. We would have to have a
heart of stone if any of our | 0:11:51 | 0:12:02 | |
children or grandchildren were in
this position if we were told by a | 0:12:02 | 0:12:10 | |
stubborn bureaucracy that our child
has to turn blue up to 30 times a | 0:12:10 | 0:12:14 | |
day and have a seizure the cause of
Law says that that's the situation. | 0:12:14 | 0:12:22 | |
29 American states have legalized
cannabis for medicinal purposes and | 0:12:22 | 0:12:29 | |
in every one of them the use of the
deadly, dangerous, opioid has gone | 0:12:29 | 0:12:33 | |
down. Every alternative to natural
cannabis is worse than that. And | 0:12:33 | 0:12:41 | |
it's not just one case there are
thousands of people who have the | 0:12:41 | 0:12:44 | |
choice of suffering terrible pain
and seizures everyday or Crumpton | 0:12:44 | 0:12:52 | |
allies themselves by breaking the
law. I would urge them to break the | 0:12:52 | 0:12:56 | |
law because the law in this case is
cruel and about compassion. I don't | 0:12:56 | 0:13:06 | |
have a yard of stone not just as a
parent of six children myself, | 0:13:06 | 0:13:12 | |
anyone with our without children
could not feel to be moved by this | 0:13:12 | 0:13:16 | |
case but as the honourable lady have
said we have to look at things | 0:13:16 | 0:13:21 | |
through the lens of implications and
through the lens of the existing law | 0:13:21 | 0:13:27 | |
which is set up on the basis of
expert advice not least from the | 0:13:27 | 0:13:33 | |
advisory council, very clear that
use of cannabis is a significant | 0:13:33 | 0:13:36 | |
public health issue and
unquestionably and their words he | 0:13:36 | 0:13:42 | |
cannot ignore that advice however I
said as we are monitoring closely | 0:13:42 | 0:13:49 | |
the work done by the WHO and other
countries of residence elsewhere and | 0:13:49 | 0:13:55 | |
we will explore every option within.
Of the honourable member for Newport | 0:13:55 | 0:14:03 | |
said it's not just out the there are
thousands of people in these | 0:14:03 | 0:14:08 | |
conditions and I have a constituent
Rikki Clarke whose knowledge of five | 0:14:08 | 0:14:10 | |
stone in weight suffering from the
very final stages, of multiple | 0:14:10 | 0:14:20 | |
sclerosis, her husband found the
only drug that cured her pain or a | 0:14:20 | 0:14:24 | |
deviated her pain was cannabis and
twice he's been investigating by the | 0:14:24 | 0:14:29 | |
police. Surely if a doctor, if a
doctor says that cannabis is the | 0:14:29 | 0:14:39 | |
only cure for the only way to
alleviate pain, we're not talking | 0:14:39 | 0:14:43 | |
about General administration of
cannabis, we are talking medical | 0:14:43 | 0:14:46 | |
prescription of cannabis. It's a
medical professional says shortly | 0:14:46 | 0:14:53 | |
it's the only way to alleviate pain
it should be legally allowed to | 0:14:53 | 0:14:56 | |
prescribe that drug. They still have
to operate within the law and the | 0:14:56 | 0:15:04 | |
law does permit the development and
licensing and marketing of medicines | 0:15:04 | 0:15:13 | |
that contain control drugs such as
cannabis and actually it talks about | 0:15:13 | 0:15:22 | |
lots of other cases like this one in
the case of Alfie I think only nine | 0:15:22 | 0:15:28 | |
other children in the world which is
why I do undertake to explore every | 0:15:28 | 0:15:39 | |
option on his path and make it quite
clear that the Home Office and the | 0:15:39 | 0:15:42 | |
government to keep this area under
review because it is fast-moving and | 0:15:42 | 0:15:47 | |
of course the House would have the
chance to debate this with the | 0:15:47 | 0:15:50 | |
members. Mrs beaker, the Scottish
National Party is in favour of the | 0:15:50 | 0:15:58 | |
organisation of cannabis for
medicinal use given the evidence of | 0:15:58 | 0:16:01 | |
the benefit it has in alleviating
the symptoms of many serious | 0:16:01 | 0:16:05 | |
condition such as that suffered by
young Alfie. In 2016, our conference | 0:16:05 | 0:16:12 | |
heard evidence for multiple
sclerosis sufferer who called for | 0:16:12 | 0:16:17 | |
compassion and common sense on this
issue. She said and I quote I'm not | 0:16:17 | 0:16:23 | |
advocating the smoking of cannabis
am advocating a progressive and | 0:16:23 | 0:16:27 | |
reasonable compassionate society
where you can access pain relief. We | 0:16:27 | 0:16:32 | |
urge the UK Government to look again
very seriously at the analysing the | 0:16:32 | 0:16:36 | |
use of cannabis for medicinal use
but if they're not prepared to do | 0:16:36 | 0:16:41 | |
so, we desperately devolve the power
to Scotland so the government can | 0:16:41 | 0:16:44 | |
take appropriate steps but we say we
like to see this for everybody in | 0:16:44 | 0:16:47 | |
the United Kingdom. I thank the
honourable lady for her contribution | 0:16:47 | 0:16:52 | |
to this and it's an issue that will
get debate said and I believe this | 0:16:52 | 0:17:03 | |
Friday again I come back to the
point we have the favour that exists | 0:17:03 | 0:17:11 | |
and you won't issue licenses for the
personal consumption of cannabis it | 0:17:11 | 0:17:14 | |
is possible to consider issuing a
licence to enable trials of misuse | 0:17:14 | 0:17:23 | |
of drugs regulation 2001 and is
precedence for it. Was the | 0:17:23 | 0:17:31 | |
honourable gentleman president at
the start of the exchanges? He was? | 0:17:31 | 0:17:34 | |
OK. I certainly was here, I'm just
silent. I support the medical use of | 0:17:34 | 0:17:42 | |
cannabis particularly in this case
but can I ask if the gentleman | 0:17:42 | 0:17:48 | |
opposite Bill passes with sufficient
majority on this Friday the | 0:17:48 | 0:17:52 | |
government might fast-track this
matter through the warehouse? We | 0:17:52 | 0:17:59 | |
look forward to the debates on
Friday to see what the bill of the | 0:17:59 | 0:18:03 | |
House is. Thank you Mr Speaker, I
would like to answer the Minister, | 0:18:03 | 0:18:11 | |
he's had -- heard from those on this
bench is for our support but does he | 0:18:11 | 0:18:14 | |
not support the views of his
colleagues in the Scottish | 0:18:14 | 0:18:18 | |
Parliament. Where the health
spokesman said it's time for a | 0:18:18 | 0:18:23 | |
concert -- comprehensive review and
Parliament should look to perform | 0:18:23 | 0:18:26 | |
access the cannabis for medical and
scientific purposes and does he | 0:18:26 | 0:18:31 | |
recognise that there is widespread
support in all parties for this? | 0:18:31 | 0:18:37 | |
There are good reasons for the
government current position but I | 0:18:37 | 0:18:41 | |
made very clear in the statement we
are looking very closely at what | 0:18:41 | 0:18:45 | |
approaches taken by other countries
and we have a keen eye on what the | 0:18:45 | 0:18:51 | |
global experts conclude in terms of
their expert committee on drug | 0:18:51 | 0:18:56 | |
dependence in terms of the
therapeutic but benefits of | 0:18:56 | 0:18:59 | |
cannabis. Is Bill number three on
Friday there isn't going to be a | 0:18:59 | 0:19:06 | |
debate is there a? Well, that
depends on what happens to the first | 0:19:06 | 0:19:13 | |
two. Yes, thank you Mr Speaker. I
have had a number of constituents in | 0:19:13 | 0:19:24 | |
the last eight years who suffered
from different types of its epilepsy | 0:19:24 | 0:19:28 | |
or MS and they have told me the
conventional drugs have not worked | 0:19:28 | 0:19:32 | |
for them and often they had to
travel abroad especially to Holland | 0:19:32 | 0:19:37 | |
where they have been able to obtain
cannabis unable to use it and had | 0:19:37 | 0:19:41 | |
actually significantly matter to
their health so I urge the Minister | 0:19:41 | 0:19:47 | |
please and the government to
consider this medicinal use of | 0:19:47 | 0:19:50 | |
cannabis. | 0:19:50 | 0:19:55 | |
I understand the point the
honourable Lady makes. But | 0:19:55 | 0:19:59 | |
underlines the work that is being
done. But I'm sure she will agree | 0:19:59 | 0:20:03 | |
with me did cannabis products must
read in the same way as all other | 0:20:03 | 0:20:07 | |
drugs, and they must go to the
testing procedures. May I have a | 0:20:07 | 0:20:13 | |
Minister and suggest he speaks with
his colleagues about the extensive | 0:20:13 | 0:20:18 | |
trial and known as Delta nine, which
took place in the Royal Marsden | 0:20:18 | 0:20:24 | |
Hospital 40 years ago, when cannabis
was found to be an excellent | 0:20:24 | 0:20:27 | |
prophylactic against nausea in
oncological medicine. The data is | 0:20:27 | 0:20:31 | |
there, the empirical evidence is
there, what is he not save time and | 0:20:31 | 0:20:35 | |
trouble? Have a word wizard Terry
gregarious day? Draw this to the | 0:20:35 | 0:20:39 | |
business of the House must resolve
this once and for all. I approach | 0:20:39 | 0:20:44 | |
any offer of help from him with
caution, but in this case, I will | 0:20:44 | 0:20:50 | |
certainly discuss and my colleagues
in the Department of Health the | 0:20:50 | 0:20:54 | |
evidence he talks about. We should
proceed on an evidence based basis | 0:20:54 | 0:20:59 | |
because this is basically to sue.
We've already heard several times | 0:20:59 | 0:21:09 | |
that cannabis for medicinal uses
available in many countries. It is | 0:21:09 | 0:21:12 | |
quite clear the evidence is there.
What are the benefits of being in | 0:21:12 | 0:21:17 | |
the EU, why were still there, is
collaboration. So let's review the | 0:21:17 | 0:21:22 | |
research of its available elsewhere,
come to a quick decision and can you | 0:21:22 | 0:21:25 | |
confirm there are no barriers that
is preventing this talking of | 0:21:25 | 0:21:29 | |
government? I'm not aware of any
barriers. When I'm aware of is the | 0:21:29 | 0:21:36 | |
current framework underpinned by
expert advice, which continues to | 0:21:36 | 0:21:42 | |
believe they cannabis in its raw
form is not recognised in the UK is | 0:21:42 | 0:21:44 | |
having any medicinal benefit. It is
a situation is evolving other | 0:21:44 | 0:21:48 | |
countries. The WH are looking into
it, it is right even of the money | 0:21:48 | 0:21:52 | |
would be the evidence and the
precedents from other countries. May | 0:21:52 | 0:21:59 | |
I declare an interest as the chair
of your party group on epilepsy and | 0:21:59 | 0:22:03 | |
also as the daughter of an epilepsy
sufferer. In addition to the cost in | 0:22:03 | 0:22:09 | |
human misery, can we tell if any
attempt is made to estimate the net | 0:22:09 | 0:22:13 | |
cost of continuous innovative
treatment for epilepsy sufferers, | 0:22:13 | 0:22:17 | |
who are denied access to cannabis
for medicinal purposes? I think | 0:22:17 | 0:22:23 | |
that's a question best answered by
the Department for help. When I am | 0:22:23 | 0:22:30 | |
keen to register with the House is
our determination to try and explore | 0:22:30 | 0:22:34 | |
every option within the boundaries
of the existing regulation is a | 0:22:34 | 0:22:37 | |
wicked support this conclusion. The
whole House will be welcome the fact | 0:22:37 | 0:22:44 | |
that the Mr has agreed to meet the
family of Alfie. We also made a | 0:22:44 | 0:22:50 | |
campaign group you remain to allow
doctors to prescribe cannabis when | 0:22:50 | 0:22:52 | |
it would help their patients. We
want to present the Minister the | 0:22:52 | 0:22:58 | |
evidence that honourable collies
have talked about, and the fact that | 0:22:58 | 0:23:02 | |
the MS Society has changed his
position on the use of medicinal | 0:23:02 | 0:23:04 | |
cannabis based on the evidence. I am
certainly happy to meet them on a | 0:23:04 | 0:23:11 | |
more appropriate, so the answer is
yes. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I wonder | 0:23:11 | 0:23:19 | |
if the Minister knew the boy is 7
billion. The mum of Darren | 0:23:19 | 0:23:26 | |
Blackwell, who was aged with a very
rare cancer and through cannabis, | 0:23:26 | 0:23:29 | |
made them reckless recovery. If the
LAUGHTER | 0:23:29 | 0:23:32 | |
And lend him my copy. I got one over
recess from a company in my | 0:23:32 | 0:23:38 | |
constituency who make hip T-shirts.
They supply them, they are not | 0:23:38 | 0:23:42 | |
allowed to make them in this
country. They also point out that in | 0:23:42 | 0:23:46 | |
Mexico, where grizzlies of cannabis
has been legalized in the violent | 0:23:46 | 0:23:49 | |
crime has dramatically dropped. Does
he not think those things are more | 0:23:49 | 0:23:52 | |
than coincidence and really not
investigate? She is taking a support | 0:23:52 | 0:23:59 | |
in the scope of this UK but I do not
know the book. Grateful to offer but | 0:23:59 | 0:24:03 | |
I come back to what we are -- what I
said at this time, government has a | 0:24:03 | 0:24:08 | |
position based on the listing as a
schedule one drug, and the view of | 0:24:08 | 0:24:15 | |
experts. But we do review, can keep
under review was happening in other | 0:24:15 | 0:24:19 | |
countries and most the position. But
to be in some kind of Alice in | 0:24:19 | 0:24:27 | |
Wonderland world where words mean
the opposite of what you would | 0:24:27 | 0:24:29 | |
imagine. The Minister says he is
being fleet Fabio we have | 0:24:29 | 0:24:32 | |
established we are dragging our feet
behind 15 EU member states and 29 | 0:24:32 | 0:24:38 | |
American states as well. When it
comes to evidence, we have lost | 0:24:38 | 0:24:42 | |
count the number of times the
Minister has to the importance of | 0:24:42 | 0:24:44 | |
evidence but yet will is the
overwhelming evidence is that there | 0:24:44 | 0:24:49 | |
are no downsides to the kind of
policy change we're talking about, | 0:24:49 | 0:24:53 | |
no matter how hard he looks for
them, so why will he not commit to | 0:24:53 | 0:25:03 | |
the very least the trials of the
regulation of medical base cannabis | 0:25:03 | 0:25:05 | |
which could for example answer
questions about how best is | 0:25:05 | 0:25:07 | |
prohibited different types of use
also for research might otherwise be | 0:25:07 | 0:25:09 | |
hindered? Weir fleet of foot in this
is a keep abreast of the evidence as | 0:25:09 | 0:25:16 | |
I made very clear in my state going
to help -- consider issuing licenses | 0:25:16 | 0:25:24 | |
of any substance that applies the
old -- ethical... Alfie's mother | 0:25:24 | 0:25:32 | |
says any one of the 13 seasons he
has a date to be life-threatening. | 0:25:32 | 0:25:36 | |
There is urgency here. I hear the
Minister say he isn't that a | 0:25:36 | 0:25:39 | |
pathetic I don't do that for a
minute to I'm not heard insight is | 0:25:39 | 0:25:42 | |
when he will make a decision because
of the urgency. I totally except the | 0:25:42 | 0:25:49 | |
point around urgency. I totally exit
the point made through policy | 0:25:49 | 0:25:58 | |
entirely in the lens of one case.
But what I must do his when the | 0:25:58 | 0:26:01 | |
family as quickly as possible and we
are exploring every option is of the | 0:26:01 | 0:26:04 | |
existing regulatory framework. I
have heard Mr say he is monitoring | 0:26:04 | 0:26:12 | |
the situation and he is looking for
evidence but that is situation we | 0:26:12 | 0:26:15 | |
have had here for decades. This
place greater this problem with poor | 0:26:15 | 0:26:21 | |
legislation as far back as 1971. We
are situation never we know there is | 0:26:21 | 0:26:26 | |
medicinal cannabis available that
will particularly help Alfie in a | 0:26:26 | 0:26:30 | |
situation. He is second in the
Netherlands. It is not beyond the | 0:26:30 | 0:26:37 | |
continuation of the supply if the
will is there. It is a MS the UK has | 0:26:37 | 0:26:43 | |
a view in terms of the view to
cannabis in its raw form is not | 0:26:43 | 0:26:47 | |
organised in the UK as having any
medicinal benefit. As I said I must | 0:26:47 | 0:26:51 | |
admit, I do recognise that there may
be circumstances in this case it is | 0:26:51 | 0:26:56 | |
Breschel, which is why I'm
determined to look at every option | 0:26:56 | 0:27:00 | |
is of the existing revelatory
framework. As a Welsh and pick Emma | 0:27:00 | 0:27:06 | |
I'm very proud of the was assembly,
recognise the need or legalize | 0:27:06 | 0:27:10 | |
cannabis for legally -- medicinal
use. This is a very unpleasant, | 0:27:10 | 0:27:15 | |
alcohol based medicine that is
unsuitable for many of his patients. | 0:27:15 | 0:27:20 | |
And government recognise that. But
we are country light years behind | 0:27:20 | 0:27:24 | |
other countries in the world, so the
excuses today are just not valid. | 0:27:24 | 0:27:28 | |
Why does the word cannabis care the
Government so much? We should stop | 0:27:28 | 0:27:33 | |
hiding, stop making excuses and can
the Minister provide the parents of | 0:27:33 | 0:27:37 | |
children like Alfie and all other
people had access to medicinal | 0:27:37 | 0:27:41 | |
cannabis legally across the UK when
what happened? What the Government | 0:27:41 | 0:27:47 | |
does do is to the advice of
independent statutory body advisory | 0:27:47 | 0:27:53 | |
councils over misuse of drugs, and
other sick, they are very clear, the | 0:27:53 | 0:27:58 | |
user cannabis is a civic and public
health issue and can cause trouble | 0:27:58 | 0:28:03 | |
and harbour individuals, sonatas
ignore that advice from experts. But | 0:28:03 | 0:28:07 | |
as I said, in my statement, we have
for progress to where medicines that | 0:28:07 | 0:28:16 | |
include control drugs like cannabis
have been issued with a licence to | 0:28:16 | 0:28:19 | |
enable trials. I intend us proceed
to the honourable Tillman but he was | 0:28:19 | 0:28:25 | |
certainly not in that place some
minutes ago. With that he is just | 0:28:25 | 0:28:29 | |
into the chamber or came there for
another part of the chamber, he has | 0:28:29 | 0:28:33 | |
built around the chamber. Very good.
Confusing for the chair of the | 0:28:33 | 0:28:39 | |
people prayed to lay around the
chamber. But nevertheless, I'm sure | 0:28:39 | 0:28:42 | |
he has important thoughts to
volunteer. Let's hear them. But when | 0:28:42 | 0:28:48 | |
the world, it seems the place for
medical cannabis is somewhat | 0:28:48 | 0:28:51 | |
overwhelming though I understand
that he's in a difficult position at | 0:28:51 | 0:28:54 | |
this moment. Does he think there is
going to be a good time in history | 0:28:54 | 0:28:59 | |
were medical cannabis is going to be
exhibit and is going to be legalized | 0:28:59 | 0:29:03 | |
and is that this can be taken by
those people who need them, thank | 0:29:03 | 0:29:06 | |
you. Of course, evidence policy must
be evidence led to us any government | 0:29:06 | 0:29:13 | |
of any kind needs can be evidence
under review. I think it a milestone | 0:29:13 | 0:29:17 | |
in general only the WHO review.
Cannabis is a highly complex as is, | 0:29:17 | 0:29:23 | |
looking at it from every angle to
try and give us the most definitive | 0:29:23 | 0:29:27 | |
up-to-date view on the medicinal
therapeutic benefits of cannabis. I | 0:29:27 | 0:29:33 | |
think that is a milestone in terms
of development. The Minister refers | 0:29:33 | 0:29:38 | |
to public health concerns as being a
key driver of policymaking here. But | 0:29:38 | 0:29:41 | |
we have seen in the case of even
piloting safe drug consumption, the | 0:29:41 | 0:29:46 | |
Government refuses to acknowledge
the growing body of evidence that | 0:29:46 | 0:29:49 | |
shows a public health will benefit
from those measures. It is not | 0:29:49 | 0:29:52 | |
another example of putting the
inertia of the criminal justice | 0:29:52 | 0:29:56 | |
system ahead of the urgent
public-health system in this | 0:29:56 | 0:30:00 | |
country? With government not change
his emphasis too making matters of | 0:30:00 | 0:30:04 | |
public health not the inertia of
justice that has lasted 40 years in | 0:30:04 | 0:30:09 | |
an obsolete and arbitrary method of
building drugs in this country? | 0:30:09 | 0:30:14 | |
Added another description of
inertia. I've tried to get the | 0:30:14 | 0:30:20 | |
thought is as highly complex and
keep under constant review. | 0:30:20 | 0:30:24 |