New pilot program could give patients access to medical cannabis in the Isle of Man

The Isle of Man's 83 residents will be able to access medical cannabis for the first time soon, with plans from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to launch a pilot program.

Article originally published by Ben Stevens on BusinessCann

On March 31, 2022, DHSC announced that it was looking to partner with a community pharmacy on the island to import and dispense cannabis-based medicines (CBMPs). While Crown Dependency has struggled to outpace the rest of the UK in terms of cannabis regulation, passing a law in January 2021 that allowed the cultivation, distribution and export of cannabis, it remains nearly impossible for its residents to access cannabis. medicinal.

This new pilot is poised to see that change and could provide an opportunity to correct some of the issues affecting the medical cannabis industry across the UK.

the pilot project

DHSC is collecting applications through an online shopping portal from 30 March to 20 April 2022. According to the official website of the Isle of Man government, it is planning to operationalize a pilot project lasting “minimum of 12 months” to provide privately prescribed CBMPs to islanders.

A spokesperson for the Isle of Man government said that “the contract award is expected to be issued in May, with the pilot project not being operational until August. However, this depends on planning and mobilisation.'

Applicants must meet a number of criteria to be considered. This includes having facilities on the island to stock and distribute products. “The organization will be evaluated against quality criteria that insist that the provider have a local dispensary in the Isle of Man.” Candidates must also possess all necessary qualifications, certifications and licenses to handle controlled substances and be able to provide clinical advice and support to patients.

Project regulations also stipulate that applicants will be expected to work closely with the Department of Health to monitor service levels and discharge frequency, and will be responsible for all due diligence and government verification.

A 'Wonderful Opportunity'

Changes to UK law, brought in November 2018, allowed specialist doctors to prescribe medical cannabis, and have now extended to the Crown Dependencies of the UK, including the Isle of Man. Since then, the UK's medical cannabis patient base has expanded rapidly. Figures from Prohibition Partners' latest European Cannabis Report suggest that the number of unlicensed medical cannabis products dispensed by private prescription soared 425% last year to 23.466.

Despite this, DHSC has so far not issued import permits for the island, making the importation of CBMP to the island effectively illegal and leaving many potential patients without access. Steve Oliver, co-founder and director of The Canna Consultants, who was hired by the Isle of Man government to design the legislative and regulatory framework for the industry, explained that as it is currently not legal to bring cannabis medicines to the island, the government has to fundamentally change this system. “This is a wonderful opportunity to look at the mistakes that have been made.”

However, he raised concerns that as the Crown Dependency currently does not have its own drug regulator, this could favor mainland companies that have already gained MHRA approval and established reliable production chains. Furthermore, with a population below 100.000, the demographic potential of private patients would hardly be large enough to sustain a business that only served residents.

If this path is taken, of effectively cloning the model used across the UK, it would be a “missed opportunity to improve the system”, which requires patients to pay hundreds of pounds a month of their own money to access CBMPs. Oliver suggested he would like to see the government reach out to patients rather than just companies to settle the issues with the existing system, while potentially introducing 'philanthropic' schemes to offer pro-bono care to some patients in exchange for data that could be used. to inform clinical trials.

“What I would categorize as positive is that while they are encouraging people to apply for licenses on the island, if they hire a company from outside the island, which has a monopoly, let's say to supply the resident market, that is no longer encouraging for production by people. So what they are doing is limiting the project to a test year.”

Matt Lawson, co-founder of The Canna Consultants and trustee of the I Am Billy Foundation (a foundation run by Charlotte Caldwell, mother of Billy Calwell, which aims to increase patients' access to medical cannabis and is involved in trials seeking to obtain evidence of the effectiveness of CBMPs) added: “This gives a real opportunity for Isle of Man patients to contribute to the growing body of evidence tracing the positive outcomes of CBMPs and for the Isle of Man to mark itself as a leader in collecting such data – but it should be targeted at those who really need these drugs, not those who can afford them.”