Parents "break law for life-saving cannabis oil"

[Kyng]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c93lq2lvvgeo

Until recently, Jane would have described her family as normal, law-abiding citizens. But that changed last summer, when the full-time mum started illegally buying cannabis oil online for her daughter, Annie.

The 10-year-old has a severe, rare type of epilepsy, resistant to conventional treatments.

At her worst, Annie was admitted to hospital 22 times in 22 months. Doctors warned Jane there was a very real prospect of her daughter dying from a seizure.

Jane says she doesn't want to break the law - but the severity of Annie's condition is such that she doesn't care. We have changed their names to protect their identities.

"[Annie] deserves to be happy. She deserves to have this quality of life," Jane explains. "And if I'm breaking the law by giving her this quality of life, am I wrong or is the law wrong?"

---

Yeah, while this is technically against the law, I think this something that most people would completely sympathise with. While the cannabis oil is not itself illegal in the UK, private prescriptions for it are prohibitively expensive (around £2,000 a month) - so, many of the people who need it can't afford it, and they're instead obtaining it more cheaply from the Netherlands (where it's legal for UK residents to buy it, but they can't legally bring it back to the UK without a licence).

I do hope there will either be a change in the law, or it'll become cheaper over here (so that parents don't feel the need to obtain it illegally from overseas in the first place).

[Shiny Star]

They honestly need to make it more accessible to people and utilise it as a resource. I don’t blame the mother for importing it in - it comes from desperation.

[Kyng]

They honestly need to make it more accessible to people and utilise it as a resource. I don’t blame the mother for importing it in - it comes from desperation.

Yeah, definitely.

To be fair, I highly doubt any of these mothers would be prosecuted over this - but really, they shouldn't have to take the risk in the first place!

[Shiny Star]

They honestly need to make it more accessible to people and utilise it as a resource. I don’t blame the mother for importing it in - it comes from desperation.

Yeah, definitely.

To be fair, I highly doubt any of these mothers would be prosecuted over this - but really, they shouldn't have to take the risk in the first place!

I don’t think they would - it wouldn’t sit well in a jury. But you look at sociology theories like the rational choice theory and it does make you think sometimes.

[~ True Legend ~]

They honestly need to make it more accessible to people and utilise it as a resource. I don’t blame the mother for importing it in - it comes from desperation.

Yeah, definitely.

To be fair, I highly doubt any of these mothers would be prosecuted over this - but really, they shouldn't have to take the risk in the first place!

I don’t think they would - it wouldn’t sit well in a jury. But you look at sociology theories like the rational choice theory and it does make you think sometimes.

Indeed, and it would waste time that could be well spent on malicious actors, rather than a genuine, well-intentioned citizen. 

Btw Kyng I was under the impression cannabis has not yet been legalised in the UK for medical purposes?

[Kyng]

Yeah, definitely.

To be fair, I highly doubt any of these mothers would be prosecuted over this - but really, they shouldn't have to take the risk in the first place!

I don’t think they would - it wouldn’t sit well in a jury. But you look at sociology theories like the rational choice theory and it does make you think sometimes.

Indeed, and it would waste time that could be well spent on malicious actors, rather than a genuine, well-intentioned citizen. 

Btw Kyng I was under the impression cannabis has not yet been legalised in the UK for medical purposes?

I believe it's fully legal, but not widely available in practice (or just not affordable: a private prescription in the UK would've cost £2,000 a month, which these mums obviously can't afford).

And of course, it's illegal to import it - hence why this is an issue to begin with .

[~ True Legend ~]

I don’t think they would - it wouldn’t sit well in a jury. But you look at sociology theories like the rational choice theory and it does make you think sometimes.

Indeed, and it would waste time that could be well spent on malicious actors, rather than a genuine, well-intentioned citizen. 

Btw Kyng I was under the impression cannabis has not yet been legalised in the UK for medical purposes?

I believe it's fully legal, but not widely available in practice (or just not affordable: a private prescription in the UK would've cost £2,000 a month, which these mums obviously can't afford).

And of course, it's illegal to import it - hence why this is an issue to begin with .

You’re right it’s legal when cannibis has beeb prescribed.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/medical-ca...0for%20you.

It really should be available on the NHS as current policy puts those with severe epilepsy at a disadvantage.

[Shiny Star]

I think it is really hard to get it prescribed though and still expensive so that’s a problem!