“Children’s lives are at risk” – let GPs prescribe medical cannabis, says paediatric neurologist

A leading paediatric neurologist has called for GPs to be able to prescribe medical cannabis to children with severe epilepsy.

Dr Adelaida Martinez, a consultant at the Portland Hospital for Women and Children in London, is one of the few paediatric neurologists who prescribed medical cannabis to children with retractable epilepsy.

Dr Martinez, who has now retired, has written to the Health Secretary Sajid Javid outlining her concerns for these patients, who without access to this medication would be left “fighting for their lives”.

The words come following the publication of an open-letter signed by over 50 healthcare professionals about the British Paediatric Neurology Association (BPNA) guidelines, which they say prevent doctors from prescribing cannabis-based medicines.

Dr Martinez claims that she has looked for an alternative paediatric neurologist to take over her patients but this has proved to be “extremely difficult”. According to the letter there is currently only one doctor in the UK taking patients on a case by case basis through a private clinic.

There are real fears among patients and their families that the lack of paediatric neurologists willing to prescribe medical cannabis in the UK will leave patients unable to access this medication at all.

Calls for GPs to prescribe

Dr Martinez wrote to the Health Secretary before retiring just days ago, but so far there has been no response.

In her letter she calls for a policy change to allow GPs to prescribe, as is the case with other unlicensed, controlled medicines.

Currently in the UK only specialist consultants are permitted to prescribe unlicensed cannabis medicines or a GP under the consultant’s direction.

Dr Martinez wrote: “Children who have epilepsy which is alleviated by cannabis medication should be able to have prescriptions fulfilled by their GPs. This is exactly the same process as already exists for any other type of unlicensed controlled drug in the United Kingdom.

“I know a majority of the GPs dealing with this group of children wish to prescribe but in order to do so this requires a change in policy… because it is CBD medication which has been treated differently to other controlled drugs.”

Future prescriptions

Parents are concerned that their children’s lives will be placed at risk without access to this medication.

According to Dr Martinez, most have been taking it for at least two years and have been “stable or significantly improved” during this time.

Karen Gray’s son Murray, has a rare form of epilepsy known as Doose syndrome. He has been seizure free for over two years on medical cannabis.

Karen told Cannabis Health: “A policy change is all we need to secure our children’s prescriptions. Without this medication, our children’s lives will be at risk. Our GPs are willing to write the prescriptions, however Sajid Javid is the only person that can make this happen.”

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