Matt Hughes - why I'm going to court to get medical cannabis for my son Charlie

Cannabis Voices

Back in November 2018, parents of children with epilepsy in the UK who'd been fighting to get legal access to medical cannabis were celebrating the prospect of finally getting the medicine they needed.
Over eighteen months later, thanks to some extremely restrictive guidelines from NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence), very few children have received a prescription through the NHS.
Charlie Hughes, who will be three in July is one of these children. Resistant to all anti-epilepsy medication, Charlie's seizures were totally out of control, numbering up to 120 a day.
In desperation, Charlie's parents turned to medical cannabis, following the success stories of children like Alfie Dingley who'd found seizure control from medical cannabis products containing CBD and small amounts of THC.
A year on from starting with a CBD rich cannabis oil with THC (with a private prescription), Charlie's seizures have reduced by 85% and his cognitive development has also improved.
However, this treatment, the only one that has successfully controlled Charlie's seizures, cannot be funded through the NHS who state a lack of evidence and safety concerns related to presence of THC in his medicine.
So, dad Matt, is taking his local NHS trust and NICE to the high court for a judicial review, hoping that by shining a light on the inconsistencies and unnecessary rigidity, a shift will result allowing for Charlie and the other children like him in the UK to have their medical cannabis treatment funded by the NHS.
Resources
Charlie's crowd funding page
End Our Pain
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