DORSET MPs have backed an announcement by the Home Secretary to review the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes.

On Tuesday, the government said it would examine the issue but that the drug would still be banned for recreational use.

The announcement comes following high-profile cases in recent days where children suffering from severe epilepsy have been refused access to cannabis oil which is used to control seizures.

It has been backed by MPs in Dorset who said that they supported medicinal use of the drug but were opposed to legalising it for recreational used.

The views of the Conservative MPs for Mid-Dorset and Poole and North Dorset come despite calls from Lord Hague – the party’s former leader – who said that legalisation should be considered.

Michael Tomlinson, the MP for Mid-Dorset and Poole, said that the UK needed to look at other countries to see the effect legalisation had had before making any decision.

“I’m very surprised by his [Lord Hague’s] remarks,” he said. “I normally agree with him on everything but I don’t in this case.

“There’s strong scientific evidence that cannabis is dangerous – it’s a drug which can harm communities.

“We need to look at and compare countries where it has been legalised, for example Canada where the results have been rather mixed.

“The evidence from these countries is mixed and we should be taking the best scientific information available.”

Simon Hoare, the MP for North Dorset, said that while he understood the medicinal benefits of cannabis in some cases, he was “steadfast” in his opposition to making recreational use of the drug legal.

“As the chairman of the multiple sclerosis all-party parliamentary group, I have long been persuaded of the potential that some medicines can alleviate all sorts of symptoms.

“I hugely welcome the Home Secretary’s announcement and the speed at which it was done – it is long overdue.

“However, I do see cannabis as a gateway drug which has the potential to destroy lives, so I am against legalisation of the drug for recreational use.

“In the three short years I’ve been an MP, I must have had about a dozen young people who have had their lives totally ruined by cannabis.

“It is a gateway drug to much harder illegal substances.”

South Dorset MP, Richard Drax, said that he was "delighted" that the government would not be decriminalising cannabis.

“I absolutely understand the government’s review of this policy,” he said, “and I welcome it for those who suffer and need this drug to make them better, but may I just say that, from my own life experience, I am delighted that the government are not going to decriminalise the use of drugs.

"All too often, people start on cannabis and end on something far worse, and I have personally seen the devastation to families and the loss of children because of drugs.”

The review will be split into two parts with the first making recommendations on which medicines to offer benefits to patients and the second seeing the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs considering whether classification changes are needed.