Cannabis moved a step closer to being legalised for medicinal use after the Chief Medical Officer concluded there was ‘conclusive evidence’ it was beneficial for some conditions.

Dame Sally Davies, the Chief Medical Officer for England, said it was now difficult to defend the retention of cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug - meaning it was considered to have little or no therapeutic potential - on scientific grounds.

Her decision is the first part of a review commissioned last month by Home Secretary Sajid Javid into the medicinal use of cannabis.

The Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs will now issue an assessment within the next three weeks on whether it should be re-scheduled.

The review was originally launched in response to a number of high profile cases involving children being denied the use of cannabis for the treatment of epileptic seizures, including Alfie Dingley and Billy Caldwell.