UK authorities release confiscated cannabis after boy admitted to hospital
Twelve-year-old Billy Caldwell needs the medical cannabis oil, which is still banned in Britain, to treat his epilepsy
Britain’s interior minister used an exceptional power on Saturday to release medicinal cannabis oil that had been confiscated from an epileptic boy who was later admitted to hospital suffering from seizures.
Billy Caldwell, 12, travelled to Canada with his mother Charlotte to get the cannabis oil after his doctor was ordered to stop prescribing it. But when they flew back to London on Monday customs officers confiscated their supplies.
The boy was admitted to hospital on Friday after several seizures.
His case has stirred debate on the therapeutic use of cannabis, with politicians from different parties backing the family and campaigners calling for changes to the law.
“This morning, I’ve used an exceptional power as home secretary to urgently issue a licence to allow Billy Caldwell to be treated with cannabis oil,” the minister, Sajid Javid, said in a statement. “My decision is based on the advice of senior clinicians who have made clear this is a medical emergency.”
Charlotte Caldwell, who says Billy was free from seizures when he was using the cannabis oil, made a statement to reporters outside Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, where her son was being treated. She called for the law to be changed.