Nicola Sturgeon has said she is "sympathetic" to calls for the medical use of cannabis.

Labour's Pauline McNeill pushed the First Minister to move towards licensing the drug for medical use in Scotland.

Speaking at First Minister's Questions on Thursday, McNeill said there is "some evidence" to suggest cannabis could help alleviate the pain of arthritis.

She added: "Would the First Minister consider taking steps to licence cannabis for medical purposes or would the First Minister at least commit to looking at the basis for it?"

Sturgeon said: "I have long been of the view that there is a case for medical use of cannabis.

"I am not in favour of the decriminalisation or legalisation of cannabis generally but carefully used for certain conditions I think there is a case to be made.

"Yes I am sympathetic, I don't hold all the levers around this in terms of the classification of drugs but in terms of medicines we have a recognised process in place in Scotland and of course it is open for any manufacturer of drugs to ask for approval through that process."

She said drug licensing is reserved to the UK Government and approval of medicines derived from cannabis would be a matter for the independent Scottish Medicines Consortium which ratifies new drugs for use.

The First Minister said she would ask health secretary Shona Robison to write to McNeill with details of any cannabis-derived drugs currently under consideration.