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UPDATE 21st September 2023


The Home Affairs Committee (in the UK) brought out a report (31 August 2023) outlining recommendations for drug policy. Although it recommends looking at reclassification of various drugs, including psychedelics (to enable research) and improving NHS access to Cannabis-based medicines (CBPMs, Cannabis based products for medical use), it does not recommend legalisation for recreational use, which is extremely disappointing but equally unsurprising.

You can access and download the full report via the following link:
Home Affairs Committee (31 August 2023) Drugs: 3rd Report of Session 2022-2023. Parliament UK. Available online at: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmselect/cmhaff/198/report.html#heading-9

The Government response is due by 31 October 2023

Though we've had no luck with legalization of cannabis under other political parties either, and our medical system remains woeful, but with a UK election on the horizon, there will more than likely be change in the way our countries are governed, but as it is, even 'softer drugs' like cannabis continue to demonized, which doesn't give me much hope for the above recommendations being actioned. In 2022, various Police and Crime Commissioners, echoed by the Home Secretary, called for reclassification of cannabis to Class A, which would have made criminal penalties even higher. I wrote to the PCC for Dorset, as well as posting a response to the Home Secretary on this website. You can read it by clicking the pink link below:
Cannabis to Class A?

UPDATE 8th September 2022

Unfortunately the Private Members Bill below, like most others before it, failed some months back, as the next reading was postponed so many times. I've left the template I'd designed to be sent to constituency MPs below, in case another should occur. 

RECAP

The law changed in 2018, so that different preparations of Cannabis could be legally prescribed for patients unresponsive to pharmaceutical medication. However, only 3 times has that been on the National Health Service, whereas thousands of times now, it has been prescribed privately, costing patients between hundreds and thousands of pounds per month, and causing poverty, widening health inequity and forcing others to break the law if they're unable to finance it. This will increasingly be the case as some prescription charges are due to rise hugely, and soon. If a resolution isn't found.

Jeff Smith MP, raised a Bill to attempt to address this hostile, discriminatory and damaging health practice.

CLICK ON THE PINK LINKS IN THE NEXT COLUMN TO WATCH OR READ THE TRANSCRIPT FROM THE FIRST READING IN DECEMBER 2021

Watch the first reading of the Medical Cannabis (Access) Bill here

Read the transcript of the first reading in December 2021 here





How may Stages to a Parliamentary Bill?

In 2019-2020, I believe just 7 Private Member's Bills were passed.  They go through the same number of readings and debates as any other parliamentary Bill, eventually getting to The House of Lords if not abandoned by that point. So 3 readings, a committee state and a report stage first. Easy peasy then!

UK Parliament (2023) MPs Guide to Procedure: Bill Stages. UK Parliament. Available online at:
https://guidetoprocedure.parliament.uk/collections/6jKbMbJM/bill-stages

UK Parliament (2023) MPs Guide to Procedure: PMBs. UK Parliament. Available online at: https://guidetoprocedure.parliament.uk/articles/eUBW1Vdz/stages-for-pmbs

TEMPLATE LETTER TO MP

Lobbying for their support for the Medical Cannabis (Access) Bill

Although the  Bill failed in Parliament, I've left the template letter I posted in support of it on here to outline the issues it raised (which continue to be unaddressed)


Dear,

I'm writing to draw attention to the Medical Cannabis (Access) Bill (raised by Jeff Smith, MP), which is now due the next reading in The House of Commons on Friday 25th February 2022. This is to support medical cannabis being made available on NHS prescriptions, as patients were led to believe it would be when the law changed in November 2018. Although the law allows for Cannabis flower and oil to be legally prescribed, in reality this has happened only 3 times to date I believe, whereas thousands of people already have private prescriptions costing between hundreds and thousands of pounds per month, with a planned 40% imminent price increase for some. This is driving many people into poverty and inevitably for some, back into what is currently deemed criminal behaviour, to either growing illegally or buying illegally. It's noteworthy that some will not have tried cannabis prior to holding a prescription so actually, failures in the current system in these instances have direct responsibility for creating both the criminal and the criminal behaviour. With rising energy and food prices, this is only realistically going to get worse.

The private prescription system is not fit for purpose, given the tiered pricing systems, varying structures and major supply problems on a constant basis, across the clinics, not least because of the bizarre contradiction of the UK importing to and exporting from the same countries simultaneously. It also means that patients prescribed medications like Sativex by the National Health Service are effectively stuck on such a product when other routes, strains or preparations might actually be more useful for them. UK research cannot be expected to progress, nor patients find a therapeutic dose or treatment regime as long as these issues remain such clear obstacles.

Thank you for your time and attention and please, lend your support towards this urgent and important matter.

Yours sincerely,

Find Your MP

Updated September 2023

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