The UK Government has been urged to devolve the power to legalise cannabis for medicinal use to the Scottish Parliament by SNP conference delegates.

In May, the First Minister said there was a "specific case" for legalising the substance for pain relief.

Delegates at the party's conference endorsed a resolution calling for a change in the law.

The resolution was proposed by Ayr North branch member Laura Brennan-Whitefield who has suffered from Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for nine years.

The party activist said: "I know what it is to suffer pain and be in no doubt, conference, if it came to it I would not hesitate to ease that pain in anyway I could because that is a natural instinct."

She continued: "A drug conviction has very real consequences, serious consequences for your future prospects and employment prospects.

"Conference I think now is the time to show we are the party of compassion and common sense. And it is now that we should be sending out a message to those people in pain that we hear you and that we are not shying away from this issue as Westminster has."

Renfrewshire councillor Audrey Doig called on the party to reject any change in the law.

Doig linked the death of her cousin through his usage of cannabis as a form of pain relief in Canada.

She instead backed "fitness regimes" to solve medical problems.

Doig said: "There are alternatives to basically pain medications.

"A lot of doctors are basically prescribing that a fitness regime for getting you fit in all different ways, and we have MS patients who come to our centres to go through this regime, actually increases the fitness to all your body - you decrease the amount of pain killers you are on.

"That is the way to go, people. Go to fitness regimes regimes. The doctors are trying it out now."

The councillor raised fears of doctors being pressurised by patients to prescribe them cannabis.

Doig was booed by some conference delegates after going on to say the "MS card has been played here" by those backing the resolution.

Business convener Derek Mackay asked the conference for delegates to "show all speakers respect" and for speakers "to show all delegates respect".

The resolution was passed overwhelmingly by party delegates.