Charlotte Caldwell brought cannabis oil from Canada for her twelve-year-old son Billy, who has severe epilepsy, and declared it to border officers at Heathrow Airport on 11 June 2018.[1] The officers confiscated it: the oil contains THC, which is unlawful to possess without a licence for a Schedule 1 drug, and the Home Office had ordered his GP to stop prescribing it the previous month.[1][2]
A refused plea, then a hospital admission
Caldwell met policing minister Nick Hurd the same day to plead for the oil back “parent to parent”, but he refused, urging the family to explore licensing options instead.[1] She warned that missing a first dose in nineteen months could cause serious harm, and Billy was admitted to hospital in London that Friday.[1][2]
An emergency licence
Home Secretary Sajid Javid then issued an exceptional licence after senior clinicians advised that Billy faced a medical emergency, and the oil arrived at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on the afternoon of 16 June.[2] It was administered under a 20-day licence and could not be taken home, with the Home Office calling it a short-term emergency measure subject to review.[2]
