CIC responds to Home Affairs Committee drugs report
The House of Commons Home Affairs Committee has just published their latest report on drugs policy.
Responding to the report, Co-chair of the CIC Research Working Group, Melissa Sturgess, said:
“The Cannabis Industry Council welcomes the Home Affairs Committee recognising the fact that cannabis medicines can help those with chronic pain. There is already significant real-world evidence to support this conclusion.
“Randomised control trials offer further confirmation of the known benefits of cannabis medicines. There are a number of trials already ongoing, some with financial support from the NHS. We welcome the Committee’s desire for the Government to expedite this process with additional resources and recognition.”
Co-chair of the CIC Prescription Cannabis Working Group, James Smith, added:
“The Cannabis Industry Council supports the Committee’s recommendation for the Government to widen the accessibility of unlicensed CBPMs on the NHS before the end of this Parliament.
“One key way to improve accessibility is to allow GPs to prescribe cannabis medicines to their patients. The Cannabis Industry Council is running the ‘Protect our Patients’ campaign and urges politicians to support this vital change for patients.
“For a wide variety of common-sense reasons, GPs must be able to initiate medical cannabis prescriptions. While we are greatly appreciative of the efforts made so far, talk is not translating into action and the lack of progress on this file is very disappointing for patients, doctors, and British industry.”
The full report can be viewed here.
