BCL Senior Associate, David Hardstaff and Partner, John Binns write for Open Access Government exploring the UK's doomed Medical Cannabis (Access) Bill.
*Here is a short extract from the article:
It is becoming difficult to remember a week in UK- parliamentary politics that wasn't defined by some sort of alleged scandal or drama. Against this backdrop, you may wonder how any actual work is done over and above the daily fighting of fires and attempts at political survival. For UK-based patients struggling to access much needed cannabis-based medicines, it has been difficult to be heard over the white noise of the daily news cycle. A notable and recent example of this is the 'talking out' of the Medical Cannabis (Access) Bill, a Private Member's Bill sponsored by Labour MP, Jeff Smith.
All controlled drugs in the UK are scheduled according to their potential harm and medical or therapeutic use. 2018 saw the apparent legalisation of medicinal cannabis in the UK, through the rescheduling of cannabis-based medicines from Schedule 1 (controlled drugs with little or no medicinal or therapeutic use) to Schedule 2 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001. Heralded as a watershed moment within patient and industry circles, the move had broad political support across party lines. However, over three years since the change in the law, the consensus that underpinned it has waned.
* This article was first published by Open Access Government on 04 February 2022. If you wish you read the full article please visit Open Access Government website.
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