England has its own Charlotte Figis —of course— and the dramatic seizure reduction afforded them by cannabis oil is the touchstone for a campaign to overturn prohibition. The Guardian reported May 24:
Doctors in the House of Commons are to lead a campaign to change the law banning the medicinal use of cannabis, as a new all-party parliamentary group (APPG) forms to campaign for the issue.
Dan Poulter, a former health minister who still works part-time as a GP, said he had already signed up fellow Conservative Andrew Murrison, Labour’s Paul Williams, and Philippa Whitford of the Scottish National party –four of the Commons’ nine medical doctors.
On Thursday morning he was inviting colleagues to join an APPG on medicinal cannabis. He is to co-chair the group with Mike Penning, a former Tory justice minister who estimated they have the support of around 80 politicians.
The development comes after Alfie Dingley, a six-year-old boy with epilepsy, pushed medical cannabis on to the political agenda by taking a 300,000 signature petition with him to No 10. He had been effectively treated with cannabis oil in the Netherlands, but was denied it at home in the UK.
The Home Office is understood to be on the verge of finding a way for Alfie to continue his treatment. But another boy, Billy Caldwell, 12, has emerged in similar circumstances after his GP was reprimanded by officials for trying to write a cannabis prescription. Campaigners claim there are hundreds of other families facing the same problems.
