Green Party in Wales calls for decriminalisation of cannabis to fight cancer  

The Green Party in Wales is calling for the decriminalisation of cannabis for medicinal use

THE Green Party in Wales is calling for the decriminalisation of cannabis for medicinal use, especially in the treatment of cancer.

Party leader Pippa Bartolotti said the "remarkable medicinal properties" of marijuana should not be overlooked because it was an easily-grown plant rather than an expensive chemical drug.

She pointed to research which showed that the total economic impact of cancer in European was more than £100 billion a year.

Miss Bartolotti said: "I have recently read through some 37 peer reviewed papers all of which come to one startling conclusion - that the non-psychoactive (known as CBD) component in the readily grown cannabis plant has the ability to destroy cancer cells.

"The remarkable medicinal properties of cannabis should not be overlooked just because it is easy to grow in your own backyard, and the patent isn't under the control of multinational corporations.

"It really is unsupportable that those who have already discovered the benefits of CBD should be treated as criminals in this country."

The Wales leader added: "If we are to fight cancer effectively, and alleviate the suffering of many people in the UK we must decriminalize the use of medicinal marijuana with haste."

Miss Bartolotti said that an analysis by the University of Oxford and Kings College London showed the cost of cancer in the EU was £107billion a year, with healthcare and drugs costs accounting for some £43billion of that.

She said: "A huge proportion of these costs are down to the type of drugs manufactured by large pharmaceutical companies."

In Britain cannabis remains a banned Class B drug, with possession being punished by up to five years in prison, and supply up to 14 years.

However, the medicinal use of marijuana is allowed in parts of Europe and the US.

In America, 20 States currently allow marijuana use for medical purposes, while two - Colorado and Washington - have legalised the drug for recreational use.

http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk 04/02/2014