Response to Home Office

RNS Number:0512M
GW Pharmaceuticals PLC
24 October 2001

                            
                 GW Pharmaceuticals plc
                 ("GW or "the Company")
                            
GW Welcomes Home Secretary's Statement on Cannabis-Based
                        Medicines

GW  Pharmaceuticals plc, the company licensed by the Home
Office  to  develop  cannabis  extracts  into  non-smoked
prescription   medicines,  warmly   welcomes   the   Home
Secretary's  statement  yesterday  to  the  Home  Affairs
Select Committee.  The statement confirmed that, "subject
to  the  satisfactory  outcome  of  phase  three  of  the
clinical  trials currently being carried  out,  he  would
approve a change to the law to enable the prescription of
cannabis-based medicines".

Throughout  the Company's history, GW has worked  closely
with  Home Office officials and provides regular  updates
to  the  Home  Office  on the progress  of  its  clinical
trials.   GW's  phase  three  clinical  trials  commenced
earlier  this year and the Company remains  on  track  to
make its first submission to the Medicines Control Agency
("MCA")  in  2003.  Following MCA approval of  GW's  non-
smoked  cannabis  based  medicinal extracts,  yesterday's
announcement re-confirms that the Government  intends  to
permit the prescription of these medicines by doctors.

Dr   Geoffrey   Guy,  Executive  Chairman,  said:   "GW's
programme  is  dedicated to providing patients  suffering
from  multiple  sclerosis, cancer,  arthritis  and  other
serious  medical  conditions with prescription  medicines
which harness the medical effects of cannabis without the
harmful  effects of smoking.  We are delighted  that  the
Home  Secretary  continues  to  recognise  the  potential
importance of these medicines for patients."

In yesterday's statement, David Blunkett, Home Secretary,
also   stated  that  he  was  considering  re-classifying
cannabis under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 from Class  B
to  Class  C.   In  doing so, Mr Blunkett  stressed  that
reclassification     is     quite     different      from
decriminalisation or legalisation and that cannabis  will
remain a controlled drug and using it a criminal offence.



Enquiries:

GW Pharmaceuticals plc                      01980 619 000
Dr Geoffrey Guy, Executive Chairman
Justin Gover, Managing Director

Weber Shandwick Square Mile                 020 7601 1000
Kevin Smith/Graham Herring

Website
www.gwpharm.com