A YOUNG mother has become the first person in Scotland to be prescribed cannabis legally as part of new European study.

Kayleigh Compston, 26, says using the drug has allowed her to play with her children and take a shower after years of chronic pain.

The mother-of-five from Lerwick, Shetland, began to self-medicate illegally four years ago. She has health conditions which cause her to experience paralysis and muscle spasms. She was routinely being prescribed morphine which knocked her out and left her bedridden but then found cannabis helped alleviate the symptoms of functional neurological disorder (FND) and fibromyalgia.

Last year, Compston signed up for a pioneering drug study led by Dr David Nutt.

Her partner, Matthew Ross, 25, uses cannabis to help with multiple sclerosis. The couple are both taking part in the study, Project 21, which, with 20,000 participants will be Europe’s first and biggest national medical cannabis registry.

Compston is one of the first people in the UK to take part.