THE use of medicinal cannabis is to be reviewed but it will remain banned for recreational use, the home secretary has said.

Bromsgrove MP Sajid Javid made the announcement yesterday (June 19) saying the cases of Alfie Dingley and Billy Caldwell prompted him to conclude the law needed to be reassessed.

Worcester MP Robin Walker said Mr Javid had made the right decision and felt he had "struck the right balance" in reviewing marijuana's medical potentials.

Mr Walker said he strongly opposes cannabis legalisation for recreational use because of the mental health damage the drug can do.

"I hope that now things can move forward quickly so these medicines can be made available for the people who will benefit from them.

Mr Javis said the cases of Alfie Dingley and Billy Caldwell prompted his decision to review the medicinal use of marijuana.

The family of six-year-old Alfie - who has a very rare form of epilepsy that causes up to 150 seizures per month - who applied to the government for a licence in April after using cannabis oil in the Netherlands will now be granted permission to receive cannabis-based drugs.

The review would be held in two parts with the first seeing which cannabis-based medicines might offer real medical and therapeutic benefits and the second looking at whether changes should be made to the classification of the medicines.

Cannabis currently is thought to have no therapeutic value and cannot be lawfully possessed or prescribed but it may be moved in line with drugs like methadone.