Cannabis -based medicines have been cleared for NHS use for the first time.

The treatments have been cleared to help tackle epilepsy and ease muscle spasms in multiple sclerosis.

Epidyolex will treat two types of epilepsy, while Sativex will treat the spasms.

Regulators have however not cleared cannabis-based treatments for chronic pain.

Campaigners have welcomed the green light for the weed treatments.

But they have said there are thousands of others who could benefit from other cannabis medicines.

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Millie Hinton, from the group End Our Pain, it was “a massive missed opportunity” more treatments weren’t given the okay for the NHS, reports The Sun.

It came after it was made legal last year for doctors to prescribe medicinal cannabis.

Medics however remain unconvinced by the treatments – citing lack of guidance and concerns about cost.

Some families continue to look abroad to buy drugs and illegally bring them into the UK.

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The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence gave guidance for the two cannabis based drugs to treat the conditions.

It means 9,000 people with Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet syndromes and 10,000 MS sufferers can be prescribed the two drugs.

The group however drew the line at drugs continuing THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis.

Campaigners have said however said the clinical trails are not suitable.

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Ms Hinton said: “It is this kind of whole plant extract that has been shown to be life-transforming for a significant number of children.

This guidance is condemning many patients to having to pay for life-transforming medicine privately, to go without or to find illegal and unregulated sources.”

Epilepsy Action also called the decision of the drugs disappointing.

It comes as cannabis is due to be given to 20,000 UK patients in a mass study of the drug’s impact.

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