Ulster Unionist Health spokesperson Roy Beggs MLA has welcomed the announcement by the Home Secretary that specialist doctors will soon be able to legally prescribe cannabis-derived medicinal products. He has also welcomed the news that Billy Caldwell and other such patients will shortly be able to have their medicine administered within their own homes.
Roy Beggs said:
“It’s been clear for some time that the UK’s current laws on cannabis-related medicinal products have been outdated and no longer fit for purpose. For too long the medicinal benefits of these tightly regulated products have been ignored and their use shrouded in legal uncertainty.
“There is irrefutable evidence that prescribed cannabis derived medication has been beneficial to Billy Caldwell and to others experiencing severe epilepsy and for which conventional medicines have not worked. I am pleased that common sense has at last prevailed and that they will soon be legally granted this medication.
“I am aware that Billy’s mum, Charlotte is delighted with this news which has fittingly emerged on Billy’s 13th Birthday. I also understand that a licence is to be issued that will allow her to administer the medicine in her own home. This is great news that will minimise the disruption to their lives.”
