HAMPSHIRE MP Sandra Gidley has joined calls for cannabis to be legalised and is pressing the point in parliament.

The former chemist is urging the government to allow the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes.

Liberal Democrat Mrs Gidley wants victims of multiple sclerosis and other conditions to be given the drug on the health service.

Now the Romsey MP is spearheading a parliamentary campaign demanding action from ministers at the Department of Health.

Mrs Gidley said the government had promised action in 2001 - but three years later it had still not fulfilled its pledge.

Despite cannabis possession being illegal, the drug is often used by MS sufferers because it helps with pain relief and control of muscle spasms.

She has signed a House of Commons' early-day motion - a means of highlighting an issue - on the controversial subject.

She said: "This House welcomes the government's decision in principle in 2001 to legalise the medicinal use of cannabis, subject to the recommendation of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.

"But we express our disappointment over the protracted delay in the approval process."

Mrs Gidley said cannabis offered victims of the "excruciating" symptoms of MS and other conditions "their only relief".

She added: "Individuals should be allowed to make their own decisions as to whether the possible risks from medicinal cannabis pose a greater threat to their health than the disease from which they suffer.

"I am calling on the government to show compassion in authorising the controlled production and prescription of cannabis for medicinal use."

Last year a Medical Research Council-funded trial of drugs based on cannabis confirmed that it helped to ease the symptoms of MS.

Last month a drug made from an extract of cannabis helped to reduce pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis.

The drug, Sativex, was developed by GW Pharmaceuticals, which is assessing the medical benefits of cannabis under a UK government licence.

In 2002, the then health minister Lord Hunt said: "I think it's important to make a distinction between the drugs for MS pain relief and the use of cannabis for smoking and pleasure."