A mother from Aylesham, Kent, who says she pays £2,000 a month for her daughter’s medicinal cannabis supply has called for greater access to the drug on the NHS.
Emma Appleby said her daughter Teagan, 15, uses the drug to manage the daily seizures she suffers due to severe epilepsy.
Medicinal cannabis became legal in the UK six years ago, but Ms Appleby said it is still “impossible” to get it from the health service.
An NHS spokesperson said many products cannot be prescribed on the NHS because their manufacturers have not engaged with the UK medicines regulatory process.
Ms Appleby told the BBC that cannabis oil has changed her daughter’s life but she cannot get a prescription on the NHS.
She said: “It is absolutely gutting that it has been six years and we are still in this position.”
She said she pays for the drug through private healthcare and added: “I’ve had to work so hard to keep raising the money for the cannabis oil.”
In Brighton, 31-year-old Ryan Gillam has been living with sciatica and migraines for more than ten years.
He said he found traditional treatment methods negatively affected his mental health and discovered that medical cannabis significantly improved his condition without the side effects – but comes at a cost of £500 each month.
“I would like it to be available on the NHS, or for them to pay for some of it,” he said.
“It means I am able to do everyday activities.”
A BBC investigation last year found that fewer than five people had been prescribed medicinal cannabis by NHS England.