26 Jul United Kingdom Legalizes Medical Cannabis

The United Kingdom this week approved the legalization of medical cannabis. The decision was made by the Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, who said, “Recent cases involving sick children made it clear to me that our position on cannabis-related medicinal products was not satisfactory.” As a result, medical cannabis will become available to children and adults with a prescription. The specifics of how this will be implemented have not yet been determined.

Javid did add, however, that this was “in no way a first step to the legalization of cannabis for recreational use.” This follows a widely watched story involving a 12-year old boy with a rare form of epilepsy who had received a special emergency license to be treated with medical marijuana in Northern Ireland.

Over 30 countries have legalized medical cannabis at this point, including a number of European countries. Press reports on the UK decision included enthusiastic quotes, especially from parents of children facing difficult illnesses. With over 65 million people, the UK represents a big increase in those now able to access medical cannabis worldwide.