"Liberalised drug laws should be introduced to legalise the widespread use of cannabis to relieve symptoms of certain medical conditions, including the side effects of chemotherapy, the drugs minister Norman Baker will say. Amid concerns that "credible people" are having to break the law to secure the only substance that can help to relieve their condition, Baker is writing to the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, to call for a review of the medicinal properties of cannabis. The intervention by the Liberal Democrat minister will highlight differences within the coalition as the Tories take a more cautious approach to drugs, including cannabis which is a class B drug. Nick Clegg, who criticised the Tories last year for refusing to look "imaginatively" at drug laws, announced earlier this month that the Lib Dem general election manifesto would include a pledge to end imprisonment for possession of drugs for personal use. In his letter to the health secretary, Baker will say that current laws for the use of cannabis are highly restrictive. The cannabis-based drug Sativex, which can be used to help relieve the symptoms of MS, can be prescribed by GPs, though it is highly expensive. Baker wants to liberalise the use of cannabis to allow it to be used to relieve the symptoms of conditions such as the side effects of chemotherapy and HIV/Aids treatments and Crohn's disease."
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