Medical marijuana can be good for certain things, but I think it's been a bit overrated, at least to my experience. I think it needs to be made available in alternate forms, like pills and oils.
Medical cannabis is legal here in California, and I actually have my card (and the pot to go with it). Thing is, while most people in the country would be envious, I'm less than thrilled about it. My current doctor actually recommended it for my chronic neck pain and headaches because there are few physicians willing to prescribe pain medications anymore. With all the celebrity deaths, and hype about the opiate "epidemic," getting as few as five percocet or vicodin is simply impossible. It's much easier for a doctor to dismiss you by suggesting you go get some marijuana.
The way it works here, is you go to a licensed doctor and get your card, which is ridiculously easy. Then you go to the dispensary. I will say that the guys who work at the dispensaries are incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. They have 30 or more different strains, and will help you select the best one for your symptoms. Actually using it is where it gets tricky. For a newbie, there is quite a learning curve. Too little, and nothing happens. Too much, and you can have a severe panic attack (not good for someone with an anxiety disorder). For people who don't want to smoke it, they do make edibles, but those can be scary. It takes the body an hour or more to metabolize it, and when it hits, it can be rough. I tried it once, and after an hour of it not working, ate a little more. Then, boom, thought I was going to die. It was scary.
Smoking it makes me feel like a druggie. I take it outside, but the smell gets in your hair. Even if you use a vaporizer, you still get that distinctive pot smell. I live in Hollywood, and everyone is using it, but it still feels weird to me to be smoking pot.
As for results, it varies. Sometimes it works wonders and kills my pain without making me feel stoned. Other times, nothing. I hate that it's becoming the only option for chronic pain, but the good news is that it's quite inexpensive, and at lest offers hope for those who can't get a prescription for actual pain meds. That one is going to become increasingly difficult, so legal cannabis may become a more widespread option as a result.
Now, in the case of Tup's son, it would have to be available in pill form. Medical grade marijuana is not legal in children under the age of 18 (at least not here). We do have a way to go on this front.
Sorry to change the subject of the thread, but thought you might be interested in knowing what it's like. Interesting to hear that it's still so highly illegal in Great Britain. Hopefully that will change so you can at least give it a try. It's certainly not as dangerous as other treatments, so it would be nice to give it a go and see if it helps.