Health Minister David Ashford has admitted his frustration at the delay in updating the law to allow the prescription of medicinal cannabis.

But this week he told Tynwald members that a law change was not a priority while the Department of Health and Social Care was tackling Covid-19 and undergoing massive structural change with the creation Manx Care.

’Quite frankly there are greater priorities at the moment,’ he said, while admitting that implementing change took a ’frustratingly long time’.

In response to the initial question from Daphne Caine (Garff), Mr Ashford said that 17 out of the 19 GPs who responded to a consultation were not willing to prescribe medicinal cannabis.

’If we do not have the support of the medical professionals then we can end up with a situation that you see in other jurisdictions around the world where they have quite liberal prescribing regimes for medicinal cannabis but they do not necessarily have the medical professionals willing to prescribe it. So we just need to be a bit careful about that,’ he said.

’I would personally like to see the prescribing of medicinal cannabis. Some things - particularly around people bringing in prescriptions - some of those systems have been held up because the department just does not have the physical capacity at the moment to design and implement those systems.’

Lawrie Hooper (LibVannin, Ramsey) argued that a law change did not need majority backing from GPs.

’There is a huge difference between adding medicinal cannabis onto the list of things a GP may prescribe should they be willing to do so and compulsorily making sure GPs are required by law to prescribe,’ he said.

The minister confirmed that no GP was under any obligation to prescribe any drug.

’I am simply making the point that what is the point in changing the law getting everything in place if you do not have people willing to prescribe the product?’ Mr Ashford said.

There were only two medicinal cannabis products that currently carried a marketing authorisation, the minister said, which meant other products were not subject to the same level of regulation.

’It is not just a simple matter of changing the law.’

Claire Christian (Douglas South) said there were 30 or more patients in ’chronic need’ of medicinal cannabis and called for an assurance the issue would go to the top of the minister’s priority list soon.

But Mr Ashford said although a law change was a ’personal priority’ the department was ’absolutely stretched’.

He added: ’I would love to give reassurance to those that need it but unfortunately at this point I cannot.’

Earlier Mr Ashford confirmed there were no plans at present to change the classification of cannabis to make it a class C drug.

He said: ’My personal view is I do support reclassification but I think we have to be very careful about the law of unintended consequences because there are potentially implications in relation to those who actually potentially prescribe medicinal cannabis and also, potentially, if we were in a different classification to the UK, whether there is any impact on the Customs and Excise Agreement with the UK and the maintenance of free flow between the UK and the Isle of Man.’

Mrs Caine said the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, which would have to be consulted on any changes to drug classification, had not produced annual reports during the current government’s administration.

Mr Ashford said he had queried why those reports had not been produced and was awaiting a response.

In response to a separate question from Mrs Caine, Home Affairs and Justice Minister Graham Cregeen said he was on track to report back to Tynwald in June, with a review on the island’s approach to the harm caused by illegal drugs.