On June 19th, 2018, the UK government initiated a review that would set in motion a ripple of change for the nation’s cannabis industry.

It was on this date that the Home Secretary Sajid Javid announced the launch of a review to legalize medicinal cannabis in the UK.

While the UK cannabis industry might not exist quite yet, the plant could soon be legalized for medicinal use. This news comes following a heated debate triggered by the Home Office’s decision to confiscate 12-year-old Billy Caldwell’s cannabis oil. 

As a result of the ministerial department’s expropriation of the young epileptic boy’s cannabis oil, the Tory government decided to inaugurate a review that would determine its future legal status. 

Home Secretary Sajid Javid thinks medicinal cannabis should be legal in the UK

During the meeting with MPs on June 19, the Home Secretary addressed the importance of looking more closely at the potential of medicinal cannabis in the UK.

“The position we find ourselves in currently is not satisfactory,” confessed Mr. Javid, who also emphasized how ministers have rejected any ideas to legalize cannabis for recreational use in the UK.

“It’s not satisfactory for the parents. It’s not satisfactory for the doctors. And it’s not satisfactory for me. I have now come to the conclusion that it is time to review the scheduling of cannabis,” he declared.

If the results of an official study expose the drug for its medicinal benefits, campaigners across the UK are sure to rejoice, because this will mean that cannabis is rescheduled for medical use.

Currently, the maximum jail term for cannabis possession is five years. This will not be changed, according to Mr. Javid.

Cannabis is a Schedule 1 drug in the UK

As an illegal class B drug, cannabis is not necessarily the kind of thing that people in the UK want to be associated with.

Cannabis dealers and suppliers face as many as 14 years in prison if caught in the act. The green plant is a Schedule 1 drug, therefore it possesses ‘no therapeutic value.’

However, the review on medicinal cannabis in the UK will not explore the class. Instead, it will focus on the schedule. In the event that it is rescheduled, patients will be permitted to use cannabis under certain medical conditions.

“Let me be absolutely clear – this step is in no way a first step to the legalisation of cannabis for recreational use. This government has absolutely no plans to legalise cannabis, and the penalties for unauthorised supply and possession will remain unchanged,” Javid said.

Chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies will lead the review, which will explore the medical benefits of the plant, as well as what types of cannabis-based treatments should be approved for medical use.

“If the review identifies that there are significant medical benefits, then we do intend to reschedule,” Javid said.

The announcement of this review was described as “long overdue” by shadow home secretary Diane Abbott, who publicly issued a statement about the review into public health-related drugs policy.

Former Tory Leader William Hague says the UK war on drugs has failed

Despite the fact the government may now legalize the prescription of cannabis oil for medical purposes, the Home Office is adamant that the UK Government has “no intention” of reevaluating the classification of cannabis.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt supports the review. His presence at the meeting on June 19th caused Cabinet animosity when he stated that the existing laws on cannabis were not right.

“The evidence is very clear – cannabis can cause serious harm when misused,” a Downing Street spokesman informed reporters.

The spokesman told reporters that the UK Government had no objective to legalise or decriminalizing cannabis for recreational purposes. He dismissed declarations that the “war on drugs” was over – something that former Tory leader William Hague strongly disagrees with.

“This battle is effectively over,” the life peer said.

Shortly before medicinal cannabis in the UK was made public, Hague’s calls to legalize cannabis in full were dismissed by the Home Office.

According to the British Conservative politician, the war on drugs is “comprehensively and irreversibly lost.” Hague believes that anyone who thinks different is “deluded.”

“Issuing orders to the police to defeat its use is about as up to date and relevant as asking the army to recover the Empire,” he added.