The University and College Union’s (UCU) congress passed a motion last week calling for the union to support disabled workers’ right to access medical cannabis.
The motion, written by the disabled members standing committee and carried by the union’s congress, recognised that cannabis as a medicine “provides effective relief for chronic conditions including chronic pain and multiple sclerosis” and that “many disabled people use cannabis illegally to help alleviate a condition or issue”.
Recognising that cannabis can “support a disabled person staying in employment”, the union’s congress called on its National Executive Committee to adopt the motion and to “work with other organisations to campaign for the legalisation of possession, supply and cultivation of medical cannabis within the UK” and “to campaign for Sativex and other cannabis based medicines’ availability on the NHS”.
The UCU represents 120,000 members.