The British Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to change the regulations on the basis of which from November 1, specialist doctors will be able to write medicines based on medical marijuana to patients. The changes were approved with reference to legal analysis, and recommendations presented by the government advisory board on drug abuse and the chief medical consultant of the country Dame Sally Davies.
The new regulations do not limit the number of "ailments" that justify the use of medical marijuana. However, they abolish the previous requirement of the consent of a specially appointed medical panel composed of doctors.
The change of law is to help people who suffer from serious epilepsy.
Considering how my heartbreaking stories of sick children moved me, it was especially important for me to take quick actions that could help those who need medical marijuana - explained the head of the British Ministry of Interior Sajid Javid.
The decision to assign to the patient a medication based on medical marijuana will be able to be taken only by a specialist physician - e.g. a neurologist or a pediatrician - and not a general practitioner and only if there are no equivalents of these drugs on the market.
The impulse for the reform was a series of high-profile cases regarding the use of marijuana oil by children suffering from regular epileptic collapse.
The change in law will cover England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The recreational use of marijuana will remain illegal.