5. Will the First Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's policy on cannabis use for medicinal purposes? OAQ52980

Yes. The law regarding medicinal cannabis in England, Wales and Scotland changed on 1 November 2018. Specialist doctors may now decide whether to prescribe cannabis-based products for medicinal use where clinically appropriate.

As you've said, from 1 November 2018, changes to the misuse of drugs legislation has enabled unlicensed cannabis-based products to be prescribed by some doctors for medicinal use where there is a special clinical need. At the time, our chief pharmaceutical officer, Andrew Evans, said that the number of people in Wales who would be prescribed medicinal cannabis is likely to be very small. The interim guidance published is restrictive, and charities such as the MS Society say that nothing will change in the short term for the 10,000 people in the UK living with MS who could get relief from pain and muscle spasms by using medicinal cannabis.

Now, Sativex is only licensed for the treatment of spasticity, and then it's only available to a small group of people living with MS who meet the criteria. Now that the legislation's been changed, can the NHS in Wales make medicinal cannabis available to everyone who would benefit from it, or do we need to continue to hang on the coat-tails of the NHS in England? And will the Welsh Government review the interim guidance on prescribing medicinal cannabis so that access to the treatment is not so heavily restricted?

Yes, I share the Member's concern. We've all had constituents who've been contacting us about the use of medicinal cannabis. I think it's important to set out the actual situation as we find it. So, prior to the change in law, Sativex was able to be prescribed to treat spasticity and multiple sclerosis where clinically appropriate. At present, seven pharmaceutical companies are developing around 21 new medicines that contain cannabis derivatives or synthetic cannabis compounds. As each medicine is ready, it will go through the well-established processes in place to ensure it's safe and effective and appropriate for use. The quality control processes are obviously the most safe way to provide patients with access to the medically active compound in cannabis. The Member well knows that the legal classification of drugs is not a devolved matter to Wales. It remains the responsibility of the UK Government and it's something we can't unilaterally take action on. But it is, we think, most appropriate to look at a UK-wide basis for the use of medicinal cannabis and, as the evidence base grows and as the products available grow, then the availability of the medicines will, of course, be more widespread in Wales, as it will be elsewhere in the UK.

Leader of the house, the misuse of cannabis, of course, can be very dangerous indeed. It can act as a gateway to much harder substances, which can result in ruining people's lives. Will you therefore join me in condemning the actions of the north Wales police and crime commissioner, Arfon Jones, for his irresponsible behaviour in visiting cannabis clubs, which are promoting illegal activity, including being the guest of honour on 23 October at a private cannabis club in London? This sort of behaviour sends mixed messages, frankly, to young people in our country. And do you agree that police commissioners actually ought to support people and the police in upholding the law, not encourage people to break it?

Well, I think it's very important not to mix up the use of medicinal cannabis with the unlawful use of a prescribed drug. So, I'm not going to go down the rabbit-hole that the Member has opened up in front of me. I think it's actually extremely important to make the very clear distinction between the use of illegal drugs—which is what the Member's talking about—and the purpose of this question, which is to talk about the availability of medicinal cannabis in the Welsh NHS.