The family of an entrepreneur with terminal brain cancer claim the NHS is 'inhumane' for not giving him cannabis oil to reduce side effects of his cancer treatment.
George Gannon, 29, flew back to the UK from his home of four years in Koh Phangang, Thailand, after being diagnosed with a frontal lobe malignant tumour in October.
The social media consultant and DJ was told that his cancer was terminal in December 2018.
In palliative care, Mr Gannon is taking cancer drugs including steroids, which give him severe side effects which he says are alleviated by cannabis oil.
He and his girlfriend, Canadian-born Natalie Hobbs, 29, currently have to buy it online for £1,200 a month and claim the NHS have been dismissive.
The family of George Gannon, 29, claim the 'inhumane' NHS is denying him access to 'life-saving' cannabis oil which he claims alleviates his medication side effects
Mr Gannon flew back to UK from his home of four years in Koh Phangang, Thailand, where he had been diagnosed with a frontal lobe malignant tumour in October. Pictured with a bandage on his head after surgery in Thailand, beside his girlfriend, Natalie Hobbs, 29, who is currently caring for him
Mr Gannon, pictured in hospital in his home of Stone, Staffordshire, was given the news that he had 12 brain tumours and that his cancer was terminal in December 2018
Mr Gannon, originally from Basingstoke, Hampshire, but now living in Stone, Staffordshire said: 'It's unfortunate how difficult it has been to get this prescription from the NHS.
'It's hard for me to communicate my wishes to my doctors.
'The people who need these oils most are often the people that can't speak up for themselves.
'The oil definitely helps with my symptoms, which is a tall order because I experience many side effects from my prescriptions even on the best of days.'
CBD oil is legal to buy and widely available but cannabis oil containing the psychoactive chemical THC is still illegal in the UK.
Very few people in England are likely to get a prescription for medical cannabis.
Currently, it is only likely to be prescribed for the following conditions:
children and adults with rare, severe forms of epilepsyadults with vomiting or nausea caused by chemotherapyIt would only be considered when other treatments weren't suitable or hadn't helped.
Some cannabis-based products are available to buy over the internet without a prescription.
It's likely most of these products – even those called 'CBD oils' – will be illegal to possess or supply and there's a good chance they will contain THC - the chemical which makes you high.
The risks of using cannabis products containing THC (the chemical that gets you high) are not currently clear. That's why clinical trials are needed before they can be used.
You cannot get cannabis-based medicine from your GP – it can only be prescribed by a specialist hospital doctor.
Source: NHS
At the end of 2018, Mr Gannon was due to have immunotherapy to boost his body's natural defences against the cancer.
He had one round, but then his condition became worse and he was told the cancer was terminal.
This meant the only treatment he was able to have is growth-blocking drugs debrafinib and tremetinib, and a steroid called dexamethasone.
His medication causes him a host of aggressive side effects, with debrafinib known to cause fatigue, sickness, diarrhoea and anaemia.
Mr Gannon and his family say the drugs have only made his condition worse, and if he can have access to cannabis oil, he could gain strength to have 'life-saving' immunotherapy.
In October last year Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, said that medical cannabis would become available for prescription from November 1 in England, Wales and Scotland.
Only specialist doctors can prescribe the oils and there are strict criteria for who can have it – namely people with rare forms of epilepsy, with muscle stiffness because of multiple sclerosis, or vomiting because of chemotherapy.
Patients will usually be required to have exhausted other potential treatments before being considered for cannabis.
There is some evidence medical cannabis can help certain types of pain, though it is not yet strong enough to recommend it for pain relief, according to the NHS.
According to Macmillan Cancer Support, there is no solid evidence to prove cannabis oil can improve cancer treatment.
Mr Gannon's relatives claim doctors are ignoring their request for him to access the cannabis oil – which they say reduces his
