UK changes course, allows epileptic boy to use cannabis oil
LONDON — The British government changed course Saturday in a case concerning cannabis oil, saying an epileptic boy can be treated with it after his mother said he needed it to survive severe seizures.
Home Secretary Sajid Javid said he has agreed to urgently issue a license to allow Billy Caldwell, a 12-year-old from Northern Ireland, to be treated with the oil. He said his decision was based on advice from senior doctors who say that Caldwell, who was hospitalized overnight in London, faces a medical emergency.
Javid said the British government’s immediate priority was to make sure Caldwell receives “the most effective treatment possible in a safe way.”
The case has revived the debate over medical marijuana use in Britain.