§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will encourage and fund research into the therapeutic use of cannabis with double blind trials designed to established the efficacy or otherwise of this form of treatment. [15069]
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§ Mr. BowisThe main agency through which the Government support medical and related biological research is the Medical Research Council, which receives its grant in aid from the office of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. It is always willing to consider scientifically sound proposals. As for any other unlicensed product, a sponsor seeking a product licence for cannabis would need to present supporting data to the Medicines Control Agency, which would evaluate any application made to it in the normal way.