Cannabis News
New research asks what UK doctors think of medical cannabis
Many UK doctors are still not prescribing medical cannabis, whether because of hesitation, the drug’s relative novelty, or a deeper reason.
This new research project, headed up by recovery coach Hallie Heeg, is asking UK clinicians, doctors, and nurses to participate in a survey that will hope to shine a light on their knowledge base and personal views about medical cannabis.
Heeg recovered from an eating disorder in 2006 and managed several rehab clinics across the States, going on to work for the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, the largest addiction programme in the country.
Eventually, after self-medicating for many years, Heeg was able to gain a cannabis prescription that helped quieten her negative thoughts and ease anxiety about the disorder.
This, coupled with being able to decrease her use of traditional prescription drugs, led to her founding her coaching and intervention service here, in the UK.
UK doctors need to hear the truth about cannabis
Upon meeting her husband, Heeg moved to the UK and founded her patient recovery service, WeRise.
She has now enrolled in the University of East London for a Master’s in Psychology, and for her dissertation is collaborating with the UK’s drug reform charity, Drug Science.
“There is something like 1.4 million medical cannabis users in the UK, however, that’s typically those who have to source it from the illegal market,” she says.
“I really want to understand why people aren’t prescribing and why the numbers on the illicit market are so big in the UK, but yet the amount of medical cannabis users being able to access it legally is so small.”
The survey is a quick and simple five-minute questionnaire about simply asking the medical professionals’ views and discovering their current knowledge about the drug.
“There are not a lot of studies around medical cannabis in terms of doctor’s knowledge, particularly in the UK, because it is so new,” says Heeg.
“Myself and Drug Science are hoping to raise awareness around this and from a patient advocate standpoint, but equally from a medical and research standpoint, help inform them on how they could actually become prescribers.”
She adds: “It will also help us with making decisions and determining policies, by really understanding what the views of the medical community are, why they believe this, and how we can debunk any myths around it.”
Medical professionals in the UK, such as doctors, nurses, and clinicians, can find the anonymous survey available here
