the epilepsy drug, which has been approved, is called epidyolex.s, northern ireland for two how to treat forms of epilepsy. scotland may follow later. it contains cbd or coma dial, but no thc, the main psychoactive component of cannabis. many parents spend thousands of pounds per month on getting thc containing cannabis medicines from overseas, despite the law being chased last year to allow specialist doctors to prescribe them here. the other treatment, also derived from cannabis plans, specially cultivated in the uk, is for multiple sclerosis. sativex is a mouth spray which contains a mix of thc and cbd and has been available on the nhs in wales since 201a. it's been approved for treating muscle stiffness and spasms. doctors will not be allowed to prescribe it to treat pain, which has disappointed ms patient groups. fergus walsh, bbc news. more on that story another top stories at six o'clock. coming up at six o'clock on breakfast dan walker this is the briefing from bbc news. the latest headlines: a protester is shot at close range by hong kong

this is epidyolex, then new cannabis—based epilepsy medicine this is epidyolex, the new cannabis—basede, he had up to 100 seizures a day. now it‘s down to nearly zero. it's ok. everybody we know keeps saying, my god, is that the same child? the things he does and says, he‘s got a personality now, he‘s got a great sense of humour, he interacts with his dog, you know? it‘s just surreal, it‘s like another child — we got our child back. smurf. there are more than 8,000 children in england, wales and northern ireland with severe epilepsy that could benefit. scotland may follow later. there are two types of cannabis medicine for epilepsy. epidyolex, approved now for nhs use, contains cbd, or cannabidiol. the second type, made in the netherlands, also contains thc, the main psychoactive component of cannabis. no epilepsy drugs with thc will be available on the nhs. that is devastating news forjoanne in preston and lots of other families, as they will have to carry on paying to import thc cannabis medicine. ben, her son, is doing really well. he‘s gone from 300 seizures a day to less then ten,

that's because epidyolex does not contain thc the main pscychoactive chemical in cannabis, which somet be prescribed to treat chronic pain, another common symptom of ms. let's speak to matt hughes, his two year old son charlie has severe epilepsy and is currently taking two cannabis based medicines which contain thc. the drugs are legal, and matt says that they are very effective, but because they aren't available on the nhs, the family pays for them privately at a cost of around £1500 a month. good morning, how are you? thanks for coming on the programme. tell us about your little boy. and the epilepsy that he has and how many seizures he can end up having. charlie suffers with a rare form of epilepsy, called infantile spasms, at its worst he can suffer up to around 120 seizures every day. how are you coping with that? just a shock to the system to both me and my wife, turned the world upside down. seeing it and it's my wife, turned the world upside down. seeing it and its constant, it's just constant, constant seizures, if it's not, with the pharmaceutical drugs and everything he wa

the epilepsy drug, which has been approved, is called epidyolex. england, wales and northern ireland for two hard—to—treat forms of epilepsy, dravet and lennox gastaut syndromes. scotland may follow later. it contains cbd or cannabidiol, but no thc, the main psychoactive component of cannabis. it's working well for tj. his seizures are now under control and his parents are delighted the medicine will be available on the nhs. but other families say their children need cannabis medicines which contain thc and none of these has been approved. two—year—old charlie has severe epilepsy. his father spends £1500 per month bringing the medicine in from the netherlands. there is overwhelming evidence that it is a safe product, it does work and we should be prescribing it here in the uk. it's 2019 and we are so far behind other countries in the world. but experts in epilepsy say until thc —containing medicines have undergone medical trials they will be relu cta nt to medical trials they will be reluctant to prescribe them. we need to go through the appropriat

epidyolex is working well for tj.ren need cannabis medicines which contain thc — and none of these has been approved. two—year—old charlie has severe epilepsy. his father spends £1,500 a month bringing the medicine in from the netherlands. there is overwhelming evidence that it is a safe product, it does work and we should be prescribing it here in the uk. it's 2019, we are so far behind other countries in the world. but experts in epilepsy say until the thc—containing cannabis medicines have undergone clinical trials, they will be reluctant to prescribe them. we need to go through the appropriate regulatory framework. we need to ensure what we are using is the appropriate medications in individuals, that we have the evidence base, that it is not only effective, but safe. the other approved treatment is for multiple sclerosis. sativex is a mouth spray and has been available on the nhs in wales since 2014. it contains a mix of thc and cbd. doctors will be allowed to prescribe it to treat muscle spasms, but not pain, wh

the epilepsy drug, which has been approved, is called epidyolex.land, wales, northern ireland for two hard—to—treat forms of epilepsy, dravet and lennox gastaut syndromes. scotland may follow later. it contains cbd or cannabidiol, but no thc, the main psychoactive component of cannabis. many parents spend thousands of pounds a month on getting thc—containing cannabis medicines from overseas, despite the law being changed last year to allow specialist doctors to prescribe them here. the other treatment, also derived from cannabis plants, specially cultivated in the uk, is for multiple sclerosis. sativex is a mouth spray which contains a mix of thc and cbd and has been available on the nhs in wales since 201a. it's been approved for treating muscle stiffness and spasms. doctors will not be allowed to prescribe it to treat pain, which has disappointed ms patient groups. fergus walsh, bbc news. let's return to election campaigning. in hartlepool the brexit party is due to hold a news conference shortly. the party has faced criticism from some brexit su