Home secretary Sajid Javid decided to reschedule the products as schedule 2 drugs, “after receiving advice from experts” during a review commissioned last month, the Home Office said yesterday (July 26).

“It means that senior clinicians will be able to prescribe the medicines to patients with an exceptional clinical need,” it added. Which patients will be able to receive treatment is still to be agreed.

The Department for Health and Social Care (DH) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will now develop a “clear definition” of which products will be rescheduled and prescribed under the new regulations.

“Other forms of cannabis will be kept under strict controls and will not be available on prescription,” the Home Office stressed. It said the move “does not pave the way towards legalising cannabis for recreational use”.

RPS: "Step in the right direction"

Last month, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) recommended that cannabis be moved from a schedule 1 to a schedule 2 medicine under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001.

RPS Scotland deputy director Aileen Bryson welcomed the Mr Javid's announcement, "which we hope will now very quickly allow patients with exceptional clinical needs to have access to the medicinal products they require", she said.

"This is a step in the right direction for healthcare policy in the UK, which has been lagging behind some other countries. 

"It is clear from emerging evidence that the cannabis plant has many potential therapeutic uses," she added.

NPA: “Spike” in queries

National Pharmacy Association (NPA) chief pharmacist Leyla Hannbeck said the organisation has produced guidance for members after a “spike” in queries around cannabis-derived medicines.

“Currently, unlicensed and unregulated cannabis-derived products are easily available from various suppliers other than community pharmacies,” she explained.

“A move towards tighter regulation and the introduction of specific prescribing and supply guidelines will help improve patient safety, by improving the control of sale and supply of cannabis-derived products,” Ms Hannbeck added.