Meetings
NDM6565 - Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv)
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Meeting: 17/01/2018 - Plenary - Fifth Senedd (Item 6)
Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv)
NDM6565
Mark
Isherwood (North Wales)
Leanne
Wood (Rhondda)
Mike
Hedges (Swansea East)
Rhun
ap Iorwerth (Ynys Môn)
To
propose that the National Assembly for Wales:
1.
Recognises that there is clinical evidence of the effectiveness of cannabis for
medicinal purposes.
2.
Recognises that, whilst Wales is the only nation in the UK where the
cannabinoid symptom management drug Sativex is available on the NHS, it is only
licensed for the treatment of spasticity and only then available to a small
group of people living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) who meet the criteria.
3.
Believes that the Welsh Government should ask the UK Government to reschedule
cannabis for medicinal purposes; and, in preparation for this outcome, the
Welsh Government should map out within the Welsh NHS how a system whereby
cannabis for medicinal purposes could be made available via a prescription to
those who could benefit.
4.
Notes that:
a)
many people living with conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis, Dystonia,
Epilepsy and Cancer in Wales use illegally obtained cannabis for medicinal
purposes but by doing so risk prosecution and are also being exposed to other
drugs;
b)
the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Drug Policy Reform in the House of
Commons emphatically called on the UK Government to legalise medical cannabis
based on the results of their 7 month inquiry into the issue and on the
findings of an independent review of global evidence led by Professor Michael
P. Barnes;
c)
there a growing number of countries which regulate the medical use of cannabis
and cannabis derivatives, such as Canada, the Netherlands, Israel and over 20
States in the US, who regulate herbal cannabis for medical use;
d)
a number of countries, including Germany and Switzerland, enable patients to
import cannabis for medical use from the Netherlands;
e)
the MS Society UK has changed its policy position to call on the UK Government
and health bodies to ‘develop a system that legalises cannabis for medicinal
use’ in light of positive evidence of the use of cannabis in treating pain and
spasticity;
f)
Newport West MP Paul Flynn’s 10 minute rule bill on the legalisation of
cannabis for medicinal use was put through unopposed to the next reading on
23rd February 2018 on 10 October.
Report
of the Inquiry of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Drug Policy Reform into
medicinal cannabis
Cannabis:
The Evidence for Medical Use - Professor Michael P Barnes
MS
Society UK - Cannabis and MS
Legalisation
of Cannabis (Medicinal Purposes) Bill 2017-19
Minutes:
The item started at 15.56
Voting
on the motion under this item was deferred until Voting Time.
NDM6565
Mark Isherwood (North
Wales)
Leanne Wood (Rhondda)
Mike Hedges (Swansea East)
Rhun ap Iorwerth (Ynys
Môn)
To
propose that the National Assembly for Wales:
1.
Recognises that there is clinical evidence of the effectiveness of cannabis for
medicinal purposes.
2.
Recognises that, whilst Wales is the only nation in the UK where the
cannabinoid symptom management drug Sativex is available on the NHS, it is only
licensed for the treatment of spasticity and only then available to a small
group of people living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) who meet the criteria.
3.
Believes that the Welsh Government should ask the UK Government to reschedule
cannabis for medicinal purposes; and, in preparation for this outcome, the
Welsh Government should map out within the Welsh NHS how a system whereby
cannabis for medicinal purposes could be made available via a prescription to
those who could benefit.
4.
Notes that:
a)
many people living with conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis, Dystonia,
Epilepsy and Cancer in Wales use illegally obtained cannabis for medicinal
purposes but by doing so risk prosecution and are also being exposed to other
drugs;
b)
the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Drug Policy Reform in the House of
Commons emphatically called on the UK Government to legalise medical cannabis
based on the results of their 7 month inquiry into the issue and on the
findings of an independent review of global evidence led by Professor Michael
P. Barnes;
c)
there a growing number of countries which regulate the medical use of cannabis
and cannabis derivatives, such as Canada, the Netherlands, Israel and over 20
States in the US, who regulate herbal cannabis for medical use;
d)
a number of countries, including Germany and Switzerland, enable patients to
import cannabis for medical use from the Netherlands;
e)
the MS Society UK has changed its policy position to call on the UK Government
and health bodies to ‘develop a system that legalises cannabis for medicinal
use’ in light of positive evidence of the use of cannabis in treating pain and
spasticity;
f)
Newport West MP Paul Flynn’s 10 minute rule bill on the legalisation of
cannabis for medicinal use was put through unopposed to the next reading on
23rd February 2018 on 10 October.The result was as follows:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
31 |
18 |
2 |
51 |
The
motion was agreed.