Cannabis News
Cannabis Prescription: Most Britons in favour, new study shows
A new study has shown most British people would now consider using a cannabis prescription to treat a medical condition, especially if it was prescribed by a doctor.
Thought to be the largest of its kind ever conducted in t he UK, the new survey of 4,000 people also found that there was very low awareness of medical cannabis being available in the UK.
Alfie Dingley, who suffered from severe epileptic seizures, was one of the first to receive cannabis oil treatment for their condition. Since 2018 it has been declared legal to prescribe, although the availability of cannabis has been low, with many NHS doctors reluctant to prescribe the medication without further research.
Private cannabis clinic Mamedica found that a majority Britons (60%) would consider using medical cannabis instead of traditional medicines. This then increased to 89% if they were prescribed the medication by a doctor, despite 59% not being aware that is an option.
Thanks to private clinics, up to 17,000 people are now being prescribed cannabis in the UK, but on the NHS only a handful have ever been written, and mostly for rare conditions such as specific forms of epilepsy.
"Much still to do"
In 2018, cannabis was prescribed to Billy Caudwell and Alfie Dingley for life-threatening seizures. Professor Mike Barnes, who wrote the prescription for Alfie Dingley says, “Much has been done over the last three years but much still to do!”
“It’s encouraging to see that so many people in Britain are now open to using medical cannabis – what’s now needed is education that this medicine is legally available in Britain.”
The survey also discovered that a 70% of people thought there was a problem with education on medical cannabis, and a further 81% still believe that there is some negative stigma around the plant itself.
Dr Elisabeth Philipps, Clinical Lead at The Centre For Medical Cannabis and CBD expert from fourfive says, “Many still hear the word cannabis and think of illegal street drugs so are prejudiced against legitimate medical cannabis. Many still think it just makes you high and it may lead to serious conditions like schizophrenia. This is not the case with medical cannabis products as the levels of THC (the cannabinoid that makes you high) are carefully controlled.
“The levels of THC in medical cannabis are at much lower levels than recreational cannabis, therefore they provide positive health benefits without the “high” that it is often stigmatised with.”
“Medical cannabis has become more widely reported in the media, especially with stories around children with epilepsy and the role that medicinal cannabis can play in treatment, so people have become more aware and are more likely to seek information and try it for themselves.
“We need to focus on medical cannabis education for patients and clinicians so there’s fairer and equal access to these products.”
Founder of Mamedica, Jon Robson, said, “While the law has changed, it’s clear that there’s been a failure of communication.”
“There are millions of people in this country who could benefit from medical cannabis – and so far, many of them remain unaware that there is a safe, legal way to be prescribed a plant that has been used for thousands of years to treat a wide range of chronic conditions.”
