Cannabis ingredient to be classed as medicine in UK as it helps calm patients down
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A cannabis ingredient is set to be classed as medicine in the UK.
The Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said cannabis-based ingredient cannabidiol - also known as CBD - is an effective medicine in calming people down.
It has been used by patients such as five-year-old Jayla Bostock, who has brain damage and suffers regular seizures.
Mum Louise turned to CBD after reading about studies in the US where it dramatically reduced the number of fits suffered by children.
She has seen her daughter's hospital visits reduced but also been previously left frustrated by authorities questioning its legality.
She said: "They try and criminalise it if you even mention cannabis, but when you are dealing with people who are going to die, how can anyone not give it to these people who have no hope?"
The MHRA said it had initially looked at CBD because a number of manufacturing companies had been making "overt medicinal claims" about products.
(Photo: Daniel Zgombic/Getty)
Gerald Heddel, director of inspection and enforcement at the agency, told Sky News : "The change really came about with us offering an opinion that CBD is in fact a medicine, and that opinion was based on the fact that we noted that people were making some quite stark claims about serious diseases that could be treated with CBD."
Most people in the UK have previously obtained supplies online in an unregulated and potentially unsafe market, but the decision means manufacturers will now need to demonstrate their CBD products meet safety, quality and effectiveness standards.