Campaigners that wish to see the legalisation of cannabis in the UK have seen their case greatly strengthened after a government agency has conceded there are medical benefits to the drug.
The government’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has found that Cannabidiol -commonly referred to as CBD- has a ‘restoring, correcting or modifying’ effect on the physiological functions of humans to whom it is administered.
As reported by The Independent, the results could push the government to review legalisation once more after the Home Office quashed a petition last year arguing that weed ‘can unquestionably cause harm to individuals and society.’
Jordan Owen, Managing Director of MediPen told the Independent:
Since our inception we’ve worked hard to obtain our goal of breaking down the negative connotations surrounding Cannabis to lead to a reform in the law for medicinal use…now this is finally becoming a reality, which will provide ground-breaking results.
Medipen reached out to the MHRA after their legal team reviewed UK law and found there was originally no regulatory status for CBD – the non-psychoactive cannabinoid which makes up around 40% of marijuana plant’s extract- a loophole in the law which could have seen CBD sales flourishing in the UK.
Successful phase three clinical trials on the safety and efficacy of CBD have also reportedly been concluded by GW Pharmaceuticals – further strengthening the case for legalisation.
