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Scotland’s First Minister rules out medical cannabis on NHS despite brother’s plea

Dean Gray’s heartfelt plea on behalf of his brother has failed to deliver the good news he hoped for.

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The First Minister said "stronger evidence" was needed

A schoolboy’s heartfelt request urging Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to help his brother access medical cannabis has failed to deliver the good news he hoped for. 

Murray Gray, eight, has a severe form of treatment-resistant epilepsy known as Doose syndrome.

His symptoms are currently under control thanks to medical cannabis, but the private prescription currently costs his family £1,300 each month.

Now, a letter to Nicola Sturgeon from Murray’s 13-year-old brother Dean – urging her to step in and help him access the medicine on the NHS – has not had the outcome they hoped for.

Dean read out his letter in front of Bute House in Edinburgh on 16 June.

The First Minister did at least reply to Dean’s letter, expressing her sympathies and praising him for looking out for his brother.

Murray Gray

However, she said the NHS in Scotland needs “stronger evidence” and clinical trials to assess their safety, before prescribing cannabis oils such as Bedrolite.

She wrote: “You clearly are very close to your brother and and you must have been very worried watching him suffering from his seizures.

“I was deeply sorry to read about the difficulties your family are facing due to Murray’s illness, and I can only imagine how hard this has been for you.”

Murray’s mother Karen said she was glad that the First Minster had responded.

“[It] seems very personal and thoughtful, however it was not what I was hoping to see.”

Before medical cannabis Murray could suffer hundreds of seizures a day.

“Murray has had many hospital stays where he has been seriously unwell. At one point, he needed blood transfusion and was so sick that we feared he might die,” said Karen.

“[He] was prescribed many medications on the NHS to try and control his seizures but experienced adverse side effects. At one point he was given strong steroids which over the course of a three month period, saw him put on two stones in weight.”

Murray was later prescribed Epidiolex, which initially helped him control his seizures, but he gradually began experiencing adverse side effects from this too.

After much research and desperate to help Murray, Karen started to look into full extract cannabis, after hearing many positive stories.

Karen even travelled to Holland, accompanied by a BBC TV crew, to find a doctor who would prescribe Murray the oil.

“I decided to fly out with a friend to find the best oil for my son. After three days we found a doctor who prescribed for Murray. I felt I had no other option,” she said.

Murray who was able to access a private prescription in the UK since medical cannabis was legalised in 2018, has now been seizure-free for two years.

“For now, he is safe, but we need the NHS to fund his prescription,” continued Karen.

“The First Minister said in the letter that more clinical trials are needed before it can be prescribed on the NHS, when I know that there are two children in the UK who have already been prescribed it on the NHS.

“I ask myself why  cannabis medicines are cannot be made [more widely] available on the NHS for epilepsy, when results have been so promising.”

 

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