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MPs will hold a full debate on whether Britain should legalise cannabis, sell it in shops and tax it to fund the NHS.

Campaigners are joyous after Parliament was pushed into the move by a 210,000-strong petition on its own website.

Today the petition became one of two to have a formal date set for its debate - the other is a bid to sack Jeremy Hunt.

It will be discussed in Westminster Hall, the second-biggest Commons venue after the chamber itself, on October 12.

And it will be led by Labour MP Paul Flynn, who has campaigned for more than a decade to allow the drug for medicinal use.

(Image: PA)

All MPs will be able to take part in the historic debate - even though the government has already said it won't budge on the illegal drug.

The Tories issued a thundering reply which said 'substantial scientific evidence shows cannabis is a harmful drug that can damage human health'.

That's despite Labour leadership hopeful Andy Burnham promising he'd look at the case for legalising the drug for medicinal use.

The shadow health secretary said the 'benefits are enormous' for conditions like multiple sclerosis, which causes years of suffering by attacking the brain.

Jeremy Corbyn would also allow medicinal use straight away and look into whether to make the drug legal more widely.

Jon Liebling of the United Patients Alliance, which claims to represent 7,500 medicinal cannabis users, said: "We are thrilled the Petitions Committee have decided there will be a debate.

"We urge all our MPs to participate in an informed, pragmatic, evidence-based, compassionate debate.

"[It should result] at the very least in allowing sick people a legitimate, effective medicine that vastly improves their quality of life without fear of criminalisation."

Other petitions that had reached 100,000 signatures were denied a debate.

A 400,000-strong petition on welcoming more Syrian refugees was turned down because a debate on the same subject was already happening in the Commons.

Another to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was denied because the act wouldn't be allowed under British law.