§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health when the clinical trials are to begin on cannabis in medicinal form; and if he will make a statement. [118533]
§ Ms StuartThe Medicines Control Agency (MCA) has approved an application to conduct a clinical trial with a cannabis-based medicine. The timing of the trial is a matter for the applicant. The purpose of the trial that has been approved is to demonstrate safety and efficacy in a limited number of subjects, and to establish the necessary dosage regimen and delivery mechanisms to provide the most effective relief to sufferers of multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorders. Evidence from clinical trials of safety, quality and efficacy of a medicine is part of the information that is assessed by the MCA in coming to a decision about whether a product should be licensed for marketing in the United Kingdom. If a marketing authorisation were to be issued by the MCA, we would seek to modify the current Misuse of Drugs Act controls on the use of cannabis.