One of the few rays of hope in an otherwise bleak political landscape last winter was home secretary Sajid Javid’s announcement that medicinal cannabis would be available on the NHS.

At the time it seemed like the best possible Christmas present for those parents – most high profile among them Alfie Dingley’s family – who had campaigned for the medication on behalf of their children.

Relentless pressure in the Commons and in the media had persuaded the government that this medication could potentially end the suffering of hundreds of people, while denying them access was unacceptable.

More than that, it seemed like the country might be turning an important corner in our endless and fruitless war on drugs.

For too long in this country we have clung to a policy reminiscent of the American prohibition era with a simplistic, punitive strategy. And it has failed.

In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Show all 26 1 /26 In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies A man wears a marijuana leaf mask during the annual 4/20 cannabis culture celebration at Sunset Beach in Vancouver, British Columbia AP In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies A lady smokes marijuana on Parliament Hill on 4/20 in Ottawa, Ontario Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies James Reed smokes a joint during the Denver 420 Rally at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies People sign a 4/20 sign on Parliament Hill on in Ottawa, Ontario Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies A woman smokes marijuana on Parliament Hill on 4/20 in Ottawa, Ontario. Polling released showed strong support in Canada for a government drive to legalise recreational use of marijuana, but many would like the proposed minimum age for consumption to be raised. Sixty-three percent of respondents told the Angus Reid Institute they support legalisation Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies A man smokes marijuana during the annual 4/20 marijuana rally on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Reuters In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Demonstrators smoke marijuana during the '4/20 Santiago' rally in favour of legalisation in front of the La Moneda presidential palace in Santiago, as part of the Global Marijuana March which is being held in hundreds of cities worldwide Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies People play with a mock marijuana joint during a 4/20 party to demand legalisation and to celebrate marijuana culture outside the Senate building in Mexico City, Mexico Reuters In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Adam Eidinger, co-founder of DCMJ, hands out free marijuana joints to DC residents who worked on Capitol Hill as part of the 1st Annual Joint Session to mark '4/20' day and promote legalising marijuana on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Police arrest Rachel Ramone Donlan after she handed out free marijuana joints to DC residents who worked on Capitol Hill as part of the 1st Annual Joint Session to mark '4/20' day and promote legalising marijuana on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC AFP/Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Police arrest Rachel Ramone Donlan after she handed out free marijuana joints to DC residents who worked on Capitol Hill as part of the 1st Annual Joint Session to mark '4/20' day and promote legalising marijuana on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Thousands of people gather to smoke marijuana during the '420 Santiago'rally in front of the La Moneda presidential palace in Santiago Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies People attend the Denver 420 Rally at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Kevin Barron and Lasean Moore of Raleigh, North Carolina, share a joint during the Denver 420 Rally at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Nic Ruhl takes a pull on a giant hand rolled joint at precisely 4:20pm MDT during the Denver 420 Rally at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Various cannabis paraphernalia on display at a vendor's stall during the Denver 420 Rally at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Mo Banez, of Austin, Texas, lights a joint during the Denver 420 Rally at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies A man displays a large container of cannabis during the Denver 420 Rally at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado. The rally, held annually, is a celebration of both the legalisation of cannabis and cannabis culture. Colorado is one of twenty-six U.S. states along with the District of Columbia that has legalised the use of cannabis either recreationally or medically AFP/Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Sitting in small groups on mats shaded by trees in the Rose Garden just across from the Knesset, participants lit up as the clock struck 4:20 for the local version of the traditional worldwide April 20 pro-marijuana events, known as '420' rallies Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies An Israeli smokes a marijuana joint in Jerusalem during a rally at the Rose garden Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Sitting in small groups on mats shaded by trees in the Rose Garden just across from the Knesset, participants lit up as the clock struck 4:20 for the local version of the traditional worldwide April 20 pro-marijuana events, known as '420' rallies Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies An Israeli girl poses with a mock marijuana joint in Jerusalem during a rally at the Rose garden, to celebrate 420 and to express their defiance of current laws Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies aelis pass around a marijuana joint in Jerusalem during a rally at the Rose garden, to celebrate 420 and to express their defiance of current laws Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies An Israeli smokes a marijuana joint in Jerusalem during a rally at the Rose garden, to celebrate 420 and to express their defiance of current law Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies An Israeli smokes a marijuana joint in Jerusalem on April 20, 2017 during a rally opposite the Knesset to celebrate 420 and express defiance of current laws AFP/Getty Images

And nowhere has that strategy been more evidently out of step with modern thinking than in the use of medicinal cannabis.

At the same time, a dramatic shift is taking place across the world with a growing number of US states and European countries changing their laws to permit the medical use of cannabis.

But catching up on the medical front cannot be enough.

If we are to tackle the problems surrounding the misuse of drugs effectively we have to open our minds to a more liberal evidence-based approach.

Too many lives have been blighted by drugs, by their misuse and the needless criminalisation that interferes with people’s education and careers.

Nobody would argue that the misuse of drugs doesn’t have deadly effects.

However, billions of pounds continue to be channelled through organised crime every year as young people are pushed towards dealers, and dangerous, unregulated backstreet drugs.

If we are to avoid another generation being faced with the same problems we have to change.

What we need are drug laws that are based on what works, backed up by rigorous scientific evidence, not just laws that sound tough.

Back in November, that change of strategy towards medicinal cannabis seemed to herald that change.

Alfie Dingley received the first long-term licence in this country for the personal use of medical cannabis. Alfie used to have up to 150 seizures a month, each life threatening.

He is now virtually seizure free.

But five months later we find that very little has actually changed.

Only what has been described as a relative “handful” of prescriptions have been approved – 80, on purely compassionate grounds.

So what has gone wrong?

There are now almost 100 specialists approved to prescribe the medication. But up and down the country, patients are reporting doctors facing difficulty adapting to the process and new guidelines.

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

And while none of us would want to see medicines freely available that have not been checked for their side effects or long-term safety, why, when precisely those drugs at the centre of the issue are available in Germany, Holland and some US states, is that medical evidence apparently not sufficient for us?

We all recognise that the step taken last winter was profound, but if it is to have a lasting impact it cannot be the only one.

Instead it must be the first move towards a new enlightened approach.