Alfie Dingley: epileptic boy may be allowed cannabis oil treatment
Home Office reviewing case of six-year-old who has up to 30 seizures a day
The Home Office says it is considering allowing a medical cannabis trial to treat a six-year-old boy with a rare form of epilepsy.
Alfie Dingley, from Warwickshire, suffers up to 30 seizures a day. His mother, Hannah Deacon, took him to the Netherlands this September to undergo treatment with a cannabis-based oil. This medication is said to have reduced the duration and severity of his seizures, and to have cut their frequency to “once every 27 days rather than every seven to ten days”, says Sky News.
UK officials have so far denied Alfie access to the drug, explaining that it “cannot be practically prescribed, administered or supplied to the public” since it is a banned substance in the UK. He is currently being treated with powerful steroids, which his family say are less effective and leave him at risk of long-term organ damage.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
However, after meeting with Alfie’s family, ministers say they are “exploring every option”.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The Government has a huge amount of sympathy for the rare and difficult situation that Alfie and his family are faced with.
“No decisions have been made and any proposal would need to be led by senior clinicians using sufficient and rigorous evidence.”
Possession of cannabis is currently punishable with up to five years in prison, and it “is not recognised in the UK as having any medicinal benefit”, reports the BBC. The Home Office says the drug “can only be used for research under a licence”.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'Musk's reliance on China draws rising scrutiny'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Biba: the story of a 'legendary emporium'
The Week Recommends Brand's 60th anniversary is being marked with retrospective celebrating the 'iconic shop's cultural importance'
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
How the Russia-Ukraine conflict has spread to Africa
The Explainer Ukraine is attempting to strengthen its alliances on the continent to counter Russia's growing presence
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
The lows of an unregulated high: Teens are using marijuana alternative delta-8
In the Spotlight More than 1 in 10 high school seniors have reported using the substance, which contains concentrated THC
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Marijuana use associated with heart attack and stroke
Speed Read Two new studies point to an increased risk of cardiovascular problems
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Neanderthal gene ‘caused up to a million Covid deaths’
Speed Read Genetic tweak found in one in six Britons means cells in the lungs are slower to launch defences
By The Week Staff Published
-
Legalising assisted dying: a complex, fraught and ‘necessary’ debate
Speed Read The Assisted Dying Bill – which would allow doctors to assist in the deaths of terminally ill patients – has relevance for ‘millions’
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Vaccinating children: it’s decision time for the health secretary as kids return to school
Speed Read Sajid Javid readying NHS England to roll out jab for children over 12, amid fears infections will rocket
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
‘Vaccination blunts, but does not defeat’: exploring Israel’s fourth Covid wave
Speed Read Two months ago, face masks were consigned to bins. Now the country is in a ‘unique moment of epidemiological doubt’
By The Week Staff Published
-
Thousands told to self-isolate in Covid app pinging error, claims Whitehall whistleblower
Speed Read Source says Matt Hancock was privately told of the issue shortly before he resigned as health secretary
By The Week Staff Published
-
Record 5.45m people on NHS England waiting lists
Speed Read Health chief warns that crisis is nearing ‘boiling point’ as backlog grows
By The Week Staff Last updated