Nearly half of the UK population unaware that Medicinal Cannabis is legal
In theory, patients should have access to products for the treatment of a limited number of conditions, but NHS prescriptions remain very low
Published on 10/11/2020
Nearly half of the people living in the United Kingdom are unaware that Medicinal Cannabis is legal in the country, according to an ongoing survey conducted by Canex. Out of 13,254 respondents, 46% revealed they were not aware of the rescheduling in 2018 that made Medicinal Cannabis legal in the United Kingdom, consisting of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
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Despite being legal in the country for almost two years, access to Medicinal Cannabis and public awareness remain surprisingly low. The guide below shows how access to Medicinal Cannabis currently works.
Legalizing Medicinal Cannabis
Cannabis was rescheduled (from Schedule 1 to Schedule 2 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971) in 2018 to allow for the medical application of the drug. This significant decision was largely influenced by the cases of two children suffering from rare forms of epilepsy resistant to conventional treatment.
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Billy Caldwell and Alfie Dingley's parents tried various registered epilepsy medications with little success until they discovered the positive effects of cannabis-based medications. However, the legality of these medications in the UK meant they had to purchase medications derived from Cannabis abroad.
The rescheduling of Cannabis in the UK allowed specialized doctors to prescribe Medicinal Cannabis products.
Accessing Medicinal Cannabis
Despite the rescheduling of the plant, access to Medicinal Cannabis through the NHS - the British public healthcare system, equivalent to SUS in Brazil - remains virtually non-existent. Many critics of the current guidelines believe this is largely due to the restrictive recommendations made by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in November 2019.
In theory, patients should have access to Medicinal Cannabis products for the treatment of a limited number of conditions. This includes treatment-resistant epilepsy, spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis, and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. However, NHS prescriptions for Medicinal Cannabis products - even for these conditions - remain critically low, if not nonexistent.
However, Medicinal Cannabis clinics have been opened throughout the country with the aim of filling the gaps in patient access. Sapphire Medical Clinics has launched a series of schemes and initiatives over the past two years to help advance the UK's Medicinal Cannabis sector. This includes the Sapphire Foundation, which helps remove financial barriers for patients, and the UK Medical Cannabis Registry, which collects evidence on Medicinal Cannabis prescriptions.
Progress in accessing Medicinal Cannabis in the UK
Data collected through Canex's ongoing research calls for greater education on Medicinal Cannabis - for doctors and the public - in the UK. Despite several countries, including the UK, having already legalized Medicinal Cannabis, the potential mechanisms of cannabinoids and the endocannabinoid system are still not taught to doctors.
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This has resulted in only a limited number of doctors having sufficient knowledge about Medicinal Cannabis and how it can benefit a wide range of conditions. A number of initiatives aim to address this issue, including the Sapphire Institute, which offers online training and updated research on Medicinal Cannabis.
Medicinal Cannabis registries, such as the UK Medical Cannabis Registry and Drug Science’s Project Twenty21, aim to collect the necessary evidence to support the progression of Medicinal Cannabis prescriptions in the UK.
Source: Canex