Medicinal cannabis licence granted to allow Billy Caldwell return home

The North’s Department of Health has issued an emergency licence for the use of medicinal cannabis in the case of 12 year old Billy Caldwell.
Billy, from Castlederg had been living in London since a licence for the use of the medicinal cannabis was granted by the Home Office for treatment at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
12 year old Billy Caldwell who suffers from severe epilepsy had travelled to Canada last month to obtain medicinal cannabis after his prescription for the treatment was revoked.
On return to the Uk the medicine was confiscated from his mother Charlotte at the airport.
In the days following, without the medicinal cannabis Billy suffered a number of life threatening seizures and with presistent lobbying for the Home Office to return the medicine an emergency licence was granted for Billy to receive the treatment at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
There were calls for the emergency licence to be transferred to Northern Ireland so that Billy could return home and in a statement issued today, the Department of Health in the North says they are in discussions with the Home Office to finalise arrangements for the immediate transportation of the medicine from London to the Belfast Trust.