Medical Cannabis Awareness Week in the UK

This week marks the beginning of Medical Cannabis Awareness Week in the UK - and boy is this needed. Forgive the long-winded post, but I have a lot of thoughts on this one as it’s something I feel very passionate about.

Medical Cannabis has been legal in the UK for two years, but the country has been lagging behind in providing true access to patients. Since its introduction, only a small number of prescriptions have been issued by the UK’s National Health System (NHS), forcing patients to turn to the illicit cannabis market to treat chronic conditions. Not only is this expensive, but it’s extremely dangerous and completely avoidable. 

I had high hopes that the UK would take the learnings from their Canadian cousins and avoid some of the challenges we faced in the early days. There’s always room for improvement, but our system generally works well, and provides significantly greater patient access than the UK.

Lack of quality medical cannabis education and a cumbersome & bureaucratic prescribing process are two of the major issues preventing British patients from accessing cannabinoid therapy. 

With strong evidence indicating its efficacy in treating chronic pain, treatment resistant epilepsy, sleep disorders, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, etc.--and a lower risk of harm--medical cannabis should be part of every physician’s toolbox, where there is a legal system in place. 

With quality virtual training options that connect experienced cannabinoid medicine physicians with practitioners that require upskilling, it has never been easier for practitioners to advance their knowledge in this field. I’ve personally had the privilege of working 1:1 with hundreds of physicians around the world who felt their current knowledge was too limited to prescribe. Lack of education and “not feeling comfortable” are no longer valid excuses--especially in a healthcare system as well-respected as the NHS.

More information available here: https://bit.ly/3euU2Dn.

The Observer - Sarnia Doctor Wants Health Insurance Coverage for Medical Cannabis Use

Although we have made huge gains in improving patient access to medical cannabis in Canada, for many patients, one of the main barriers continues to be cost. 

For many of my patients, starting cannabinoid therapy has been life-changing and has allowed them to reduce or eliminate other medications that weren’t providing benefit or that were causing intolerable side-effects. 

Unfortunately, despite the success they are having on cannabinoid therapy, some individuals are ultimately forced to make the tough decision to go back on their previous medications (opioids, anti-psychotics, antidepressants, etc.) since they are covered by insurance. In Canada, with one of the world’s most admired health systems, that’s a VERY tough pill to swallow. 

At the very least, treatment for the most vulnerable individuals - like seniors with dementia and children with treatment resistant epilepsy - must be covered.

Huge thanks to Tyler Kula from The Observer for helping me raise awareness of this important issue. 

Read the full article here.