Families urge government to fund medical cannabis research

Published

2 years ago

April 8, 2023

admin

The families of people suffering from chronic illnesses are calling on the government to fund more research into medical cannabis.

End Our Pain, which campaigns for the benefits of medical cannabis, is set to deliver a letter to Health Secretary Steve Barclay on Monday, urging him to put aside £1.4m towards research into the drug.

Medical cannabis, which campaigners believe can treat neurological diseases, chronic pain and conditions like epilepsy, was made legal in the UK in 2018.

But to date, fewer than five people have received an NHS prescription, leaving the rest forced to go private for their prescriptions, or even buying drugs on the black market.

Elaine Levy had to sell her four-bedroom home and move into a flat, because of the costs of paying £2,200 every month for medical cannabis to treat her adult daughter’s epilepsy.

“In the end I couldn’t keep up with the mortgage payments, it was like paying more than a mortgage, so in the end I actually did sell my home.

“I’ve made such sacrifices for this, but when you have a child that you see change from being doped up by drugs to a girl who is awake, who now doesn’t need a wheelchair, isn’t always calling ambulances, how can you possibly go backwards?”

The reason NHS doctors are so unwilling to prescribe cannabis-based products is a lack of evidence on the quality, safety, and clinical and cost effectiveness.

Dr Simon Erridge, head of research and access at Sapphire Medical Clinics in London, said: “At the moment in those conditions where we’ve seen the most promise – things like mental health, chronic pain, sleep disorders – we haven’t had that right type of research that can convince regulators and clinicians in the NHS for it to be prescribed on a population basis, across all people with those conditions.

“Those trials which we call randomised control trials, where you either take a dummy sugar pill or a gold standard treatment and you compare medical cannabis with that.”

For Elaine, the lack of that research is what is so frustrating.

She said when he was health secretary, Matt Hancock promised funding would be made available, but in the years since, they have been repeatedly ignored by the government:

“We were promised an observational trail and an randomised control trial, so we could actually help the children who are already on medical cannabis, and also do data for the children who aren’t on it,” she added.

“We have never seen the money, we have never had a meeting since with the government. They have basically ignored us.”

While Elaine lost her home to the fees of getting the medication privately, others take things further, by buying it on the black market.

When Hayley Lanciano’s husband Neil was given weeks to live with incurable brain cancer, she tried to treat his pain by sourcing medical cannabis illegally.

“At the time he was struggling to walk, he was struggling to get out of the house, and that was where they told us he only had six to eight weeks left to live so we were desperately clutching at straws wanting to do more and give him some quality of life.”

She added: “You are very isolated you’re on your own. You have to do your own research. You just hope and trust that what you’re buying is what they say you’re buying.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care told Sky News: “We are working closely with partners to establish clinical trials to test the safety and effectiveness of more cannabis-based products for medicinal use to inform future NHS funding decisions.

“Licensed cannabis-based medicines are funded by the NHS where there is clear evidence of their quality, safety and effectiveness.

“We are taking an evidence-based approach to unlicensed cannabis-based treatments to ensure they are proved safe and effective before they can be considered for roll-out on the NHS more widely.”

UK

Two children and a woman die after shooting in Northern Ireland

Published

9 hours ago

July 23, 2025

admin

Two children and a woman die after shooting in Northern Ireland

Two children and a woman have died in a shooting in County Fermanagh, police have said.

Two people were killed in the shooting on Wednesday morning, and a third, who was seriously injured, died in hospital in the afternoon.

A fourth person, a man, was seriously injured in the shooting in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.

All victims were from the same household, Superintendent Robert McGowan, district commander for Fermanagh and Omagh, said at a news conference.

Police have cordoned off the scene in the village of Maguiresbridge, about 75 miles (120km) southwest of Belfast.

“We can advise there is no ongoing risk to the public,” a Police Service of Northern Ireland spokesperson said.

There was no mention of a motive behind the shooting.

A murder investigation has been launched, with enquiries being at an early stage.

Supt McGowan said at the news conference that police don’t anticipate any arrests being made at this stage.

Emergency services were called to the Drummeer Road area of the village at around 8am on Wednesday following a report raised from the property, Supt McGowan said.

Two people were found dead at the scene, and two others seriously injured.

One patient was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, by air ambulance and the other to South West Acute Hospital by ambulance. Supt McGowan said the third person died at the South West Acute Hospital.

Drummeer Road is currently closed, police said, warning that this could lead to delays on alternative roads.

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn said: “The news from Maguiresbridge is tragic and deeply distressing.

“My thoughts are with the victims, their relatives and the local community in Fermanagh. I would urge the public not to speculate and to allow the PSNI to continue their investigation.”

Sinn Fein MP Pat Cullen has expressed her deep shock over the shooting, saying: “Firstly, my thoughts are with the victims and their families at this tragic time.”

DUP MLA Deborah Erskine, who represents the area in the Northern Ireland Assembly, said that the community was “stunned” by the shooting in “a rural, quiet area”.

“Everyone is deeply affected by what has happened this morning,” she said.

UK

Five ‘dangerous’ gang members guilty of murdering boy and man at music video shoot

Published

11 hours ago

July 23, 2025

admin

Five 'dangerous' gang members guilty of murdering boy and man at music video shoot

Five “violent” and “dangerous” gang members have been found guilty of murdering a boy and a young man at a music video shoot in a north London estate.

The men had gone to the Elthorne Estate in Archway “with the intention of killing anyone they could”, the Metropolitan Police said.

And the group mistook those they attacked for rival gang members.

Lorik Lupqi, 21; Jason Furtado, 28; Abel Chunda, 29; Xavier Poponne, 22; and Eden Clark, 31, were convicted of murdering 15-year-old Leonardo Reid and 23-year-old Klevi Shekaj and attempting to murder 28-year-old Abdullah Abdullahi.

Leonardo and Mr Shekaj were fatally stabbed and Mr Abdullahi was badly hurt when knifemen descended on the event on the night of 29 June 2023.

Leonardo and his brother had been watching a music video being filmed with friends.

Police said Lupqi, a gang member from Islington, saw the gathering at around 8.30pm and took it as an opportunity to hurt those he thought were gang opponents.

He messaged his girlfriend stating that “opps were outside”. She advised him to remain inside, but Lupqi decided to contact his close friend and gang associate Jason Furtado.

They formed a plan and recruited gang members Chunda, Clark and Poponne to travel to the estate.

Lupqi had booked a taxi to pick up the three men from the area of Furtado’s home address in Canonbury, north London, telling the cab firm: “I’m in a little bit of a rush,” the jury heard.

They had worn masks and were armed as they went to the Elthorne Estate where they met Lupqi, the court was told.

By the time they arrived, the filming had ended, and most people had left, but some local children and teenagers remained in the area.

The group then carried out their deadly attack.

The alarm was raised as a black-clad figure wearing a balaclava was spotted crouching down and moving towards Leonardo, his brother and others, with a large knife.

Three more males in black stood up from where they had been hiding behind cars as they edged towards the group, the court was told.

Leonardo was stabbed in the chest, with the wound cutting through his left lung and one of the major blood vessels in his body, causing fatal blood loss.

Leonardo’s brother had run away from the scene but later looped back and saw his sibling lying motionless on the ground, the court heard.

Mr Shekaj was stabbed in the back, with the wound cutting through his left lung and deep into his body.

He was driven to Whittington Hospital by members of the public but he died on arrival.

Detective Inspector Jim Barry said: “These violent men went into this estate with the intention of killing anyone they could, under the false impression that those there were rival gang members.

“This was a senseless, violent act which has shattered the lives of so many, especially Leonardo and Klevi’s loved ones.

“This dangerous group of men will now spend a long time behind bars but the effect of what they did will be felt by the victim’s shattered families for longer.”

The five killers will appear at the same court on 25 and 26 September for sentencing.

UK

Third person dies after shooting in Northern Ireland

Published

12 hours ago

July 23, 2025

admin

A third person has died in a shooting in Co Fermanagh, police have said.

Two people were killed in the shooting on Wednesday morning, and a third, who was seriously injured, died in the afternoon.

A fourth person was seriously injured in the shooting in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.

All victims were from the same household, Superintendent Robert McGowan, District Commander for Fermanagh and Omagh, said at a news conference.

They have cordoned off the scene in the village of Maguiresbridge, about 75 miles (120km) southwest of Belfast.

“We can advise there is no ongoing risk to the public,” a Police Service of Northern Ireland spokesperson said.

There was no mention of a motive behind the shooting.

A murder investigation has been launched.

Supt McGowan said at the news conference that police don’t anticipate any arrests to be made at this stage.

Emergency services were called to the shooting in the Drummeer Road area of the village at around 8am on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said.

They confirmed that two people had been injured.

“Following assessment and initial treatment at scene, one patient has been taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, by air ambulance and another to South West Acute Hospital by ambulance,” the spokesperson added.

Drummeer Road is currently closed, police said, warning that this could lead to delays on alternative roads.

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn said: “The news from Maguiresbridge is tragic and deeply distressing.

“My thoughts are with the victims, their relatives and the local community in Fermanagh. I would urge the public not to speculate and to allow the PSNI to continue their investigation.”

Sinn Fein MP Pat Cullen has expressed her deep shock over the shooting, saying: “Firstly, my thoughts are with the victims and their families at this tragic time.”

DUP MLA Deborah Erskine, who represents the area in the Northern Ireland Assembly, said that the community was “stunned” by the shooting in “a rural, quiet area.”

“Everyone is deeply affected by what has happened this morning,” she said.