AFTER claims there has been a “near total refusal” of NHS trusts to back applications of medicinal cannabis, a Lymphoma survivor has said he wishes it was easier for patients to obtain CBD oil.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid announced in July that doctors will be able to legally prescribe medicinal cannabis to patients in the UK, following several high-profile cases, including that of young epilepsy sufferers Alfie Dingley and Billy Caldwell.

During PMQs, Labour’s Tonia Antoniazzi told Theresa May: “According to the patients’ group End Our Pain there has been a near total refusal of NHS trusts to back applications for medical cannabis.

“The Home Secretary has only paid lip service to two high-profile cases and not proposed a workable solution for other desperate children and adults across the UK.”

Jack Corby, 23 of Malvern was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in March 2017. He had 6 months of chemotherapy from May-Nov and was told he is in remission in January 2018.

“I was taking full extract oil and CBD and was on an alkalising diet from March until May, and then stuck with that throughout my treatment as well.”

“I had to get my full extract cannabis oil illegally whilst I was ill. I managed to find someone who makes the oil himself and sells it to patients who need it through word of mouth”

“I still wish there were easier ways to get medicinal cannabis because most of the stuff you buy normally has the tiniest CBD content.” Mr Corby believes the NHS are still sceptical of CBD oil. He says: “The doctors were really sceptical of me using it whilst I was ill, I kind of felt like they were being ignorant of all of the research that has been done on the subject.”

He added: "So much money is made from all of the artificial drugs they push. They don't want to allow changes that would stop them gaining as much money."

Mr Corby said CBD oil appeared to have helped his recovery: "Overall I saw improvement and my tumour seemed to reduce in size, although I never had too much oil because it was expensive to buy- plus I also had a crazy healthy diet which could have had as much of an impact on my body. At the very least it kept my mindset positive and it was nice to know that I could take an option that I believe is natural and actually good for you, rather than going straight for chemotherapy and all of the drugs they give you with that.”

Ben Neale, 29 from Pershore believes stigma could be a factor in the NHS’s apparent reluctancy to prescribe medicinal cannabis: “There has always been a stigma against cannabis as a whole since it’s illegalisation and the big money backed media campaigns which accompanied it’s illegal status. “Reefer madness” was the claim back then, and it is something I think has stuck in a lot of ways in the public’s eye and opinion.”