To ask the Secretary of State for Health what licences are current for research into possible medicinal uses of cannabis; what assessment she has made of the progress being made with each research project; and when the results of the research will be available. (135952)

Over the last 10 years, the main part of the Department’s total expenditure on health research has been devolved to and managed by the national health service organisations. Details of individual NHS supported research projects including a number concerned with the medicinal use of cannabis derivatives are available on the national research register at www.dh.gov.uk/research.

A total of 50 clinical trials involving extracts of cannabis, cannabis based medicines or cannabis derived medicines have been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency since July 1999. The Agency does not have information on when the results from these trials will be available.