Professor Michael Barnes, who is a UK neurologist and rehabilitation consultant, has highlighted dozens of peer-reviewed research papers that have proved the efficacy of medical cannabis. He said such drugs have alleviated pain in all its manifestations, treated muscle spasms, anxiety and nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing chemotherapy. He also said there was evidence that medicinal cannabis was successful in helping people with epilepsy and sleep disorders, and described the side effects associated with using the drug in a medicinal setting as minimal. He added that thousands of people with chronic conditions can benefit from this drug that has been around for centuries. 

A recent study from Tel Aviv in Israel found that medical cannabis significantly improved the condition of children suffering from cerebral palsy. According to their interim findings, treatment with cannabis oil reduced the disorder's symptoms and improved the children's motor skills. It also improved the children's sleep quality, bowel movements and general mood. 

Arthritis Care Wales and Arthritis Research UK state there is an urgent need for better pain relief to help the millions of people who live with the daily agony caused by arthritis, and that previous research has suggested that drugs that targeted cannabinoid receptors could help to relieve pain and inflammation in the joints. When I attended the Gout: No Laughing Matter Assembly reception last November, I learned of arthritis sufferers who use cannabis to help manage the pain caused by their condition. Last month, WalesOnline reported a grandmother from Cwmbran diagnosed with MS in 2014, who stated that after being prescribed a number of medications with bad side effects, she now relies on cannabis to relieve her symptoms. However, highlighting the dangers of buying cannabis, she recalled that a close friend of hers who was suffering with MS was robbed at knifepoint when attempting to buy some cannabis to treat her condition. 

I've recently been contacted by a number of constituents regarding this debate. One said:

'I have MS and believe many people who have long-term illnesses and live with pain could benefit from the use of cannabis.'

Another said:

'I live outside Wrexham and have had MS for 18 years now. I've recently gained access to Sativex, which is benefiting me greatly. However, this is not prescribed for pain, and I understand the benefits of using cannabis really helps with this and other symptoms too.'

Earlier, in this building, I met somebody who's travelled from north Wales who I understand has MS who doesn't access cannabis because it's illegal, but wants the legal right to choose to do so to see whether it does give him pain relief. He's here today. He wants to hear some positive news from us. 

As MS Cymru have told me, many people have said that they were not using cannabis to try to manage the symptoms of their conditions because they simply don't know where to get it, or how much to take if they did.

There are a growing number of countries that regulate the medical use of cannabis and cannabis derivatives because of the strength of the evidence—Canada, the Netherlands, Israel, and 29 of the states in the United States of America regulate herbal cannabis for medical use. A number of others, including Germany and Switzerland, enable patients to import cannabis for medical use from the Netherlands. These are countries that do not legislate in such matters without an evidence base. Ireland's Cannabis for Medicinal Use Regulation Bill 2016 was passed in the Dáil in late 2016 and is currently at Committee Stage. In the meantime, licences are being used on a case-by-case basis by the Irish health Minister. 

Our motion also calls on the Welsh Government to map out a system within the Welsh NHS whereby cannabis for medicinal purposes could be made available via prescription to those who could benefit. One of the positions that is used against making cannabis available for medicinal use is that we would potentially see patients getting their prescriptions for cannabis and selling it on the streets. However, as the director of MS Society Cymru has stated:

'Since my time at the MS Society, I have never known of anyone living with MS who collects their Oramorph or any other drug for that matter then heads off to the nearest street corner to sell it!'

I suspect the same applies to people with other conditions in a similar circumstance.

In October last year, Labour's Newport West MP, Paul Flynn, presented a 10-minute rule Bill on the legalisation of cannabis for medicinal use in Westminster. The Bill was put through unopposed to the next reading on 23 February 2018. I repeat: the Bill was put through unopposed. As he stated,

'The tide of world opinion is moving in the direction of legalising cannabis. Some 29 states in America—the majority—have already legalised medical cannabis without any problems arising. There are six or seven states in Europe where it is possible to use cannabis medicinally.'

He added:

'If we legalise drugs, we reduce side effects by taking the market out of the hands of the criminals and the scammers, and putting those drugs in a legal market that can be run by doctors using medical priorities. These are the lessons from all the states in America that have taken this step.'

He continued:

'It is time for us to lead public opinion rather than following it. It would be an act of compassion and courage for us to pass this Bill and make the very minor change it proposes: moving cannabis from schedule 1 to schedule 2.'

After all, because it is appreciated that there are people with chronic pain and debilitating illnesses who seek to alleviate their symptoms illicitly by using cannabis, the majority of whom would far rather obtain legally prescribed cannabinoid medication than be forced to smoke or access illegal substances, the Sentencing Council's guidelines on drug offences already identify such circumstances as a potential mitigating factor. What a ridiculous state of affairs. Instead, Wales should have a system whereby cannabis for medicinal purposes can be made available via prescription to those who could benefit. So let us make this happen now.