10 key points for Patients to take away from Cannabis Europe

Article originally published on CannabisHealth, by Sarah Sinclair*

Everything you need to know about the conference that took place in London, UK last week. 

The UK cannabis conference, Cannabis Europa, took place this week, with several patients and specialist prescribers taking the stage alongside professionals in the sector. Dozens of lectures and panel discussions were held over the two days, 28 and 29 June.

In a move welcomed by the organizers, this year several panels focused specifically on expressing the patient's perspective, delving deeper into the ups and downs of today's industry. From all the information that has been shared, we have detailed some of the key findings for current and potential medical cannabis patients in the UK.

1 – Prescription by family doctors should be a priority
Mike Barnes, president of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society, made a personal appeal to Home Secretary Priti Patel to allow general practitioners to prescribe cannabis, as well as doctors on the specialist register. In the panel titled “Bridging the Gap”, the professor and physician said that pushing for GP prescriptions must be the “number one priority” if we are to expand access in the UK. Barnes urged Patel to make the "one-line amendment" to the Misuse of Drugs Act, which would allow for the change in legislation.

2 – “A dead child is no better than a child taking cannabis”
The world's leading pediatrician, Bonni Goldstein, and the UK's own force of nature, Hannah Deacon, made the crowds around the Expo stage fill as they spoke about the state of pediatric access to medical cannabis in this country. Goldstein, who has been exploring cannabis as a remedy for epilepsy and other long-term conditions since 2008, said he has seen a 70 to 80 percent success rate in his patients, more than most pharmaceutical drugs. “What's the point of holding on to these pharmaceutical paradigms when we can change the quality of life and improve a child's existence with a plant?”

Bonni also urged doctors to "collaborate" with parents in caring for their children. Summing up the conversation with – in her own words – a “brutal” reality check, Goldstein added: “A dead child is no better than a child using cannabis… this is unacceptable”.

3 – CEO calls for decriminalization
The CEO of Lyphe Group, which owns the UK's largest prescription clinic, The Medical Cannabis Clinics (TMCC), Jonathan Nadler, surprised when he revealed he wants to see cannabis decriminalized in the UK. Nadler, who was speaking on the “Bridging the Gap” panel, said he was in favor of decriminalization and a “grow your own” model if the NHS does not give in to access.

“I think we need to decriminalize if the NHS doesn't change and cannabis is not legalized – we have to decriminalize, have our own market and clubs in operation,” he said. "This will allow patients who cannot afford cannabis to gain access through growth in their own market."

“Patients are the specialists (…) Doctors have to be trained to listen to the patient, because he probably knows more than they do”

4 – The need for better training
Professor Barnes admitted that there was a need for an “appropriate and accredited” training course for doctors who wish to prescribe cannabis-based medicines. His comments came after TMCC's Jonathan Nadler promised that his team had already made, and continued to do, "improvements" to the lineup following a "disappointing" report from the CQC earlier this year.

Professor Barnes said: “Patients are the experts, so doctors have to be compassionate and well-educated, but also trained to really listen to the patient, because the person in front of them probably knows more about it than they do.”

5 – The “death of all cannabis clinics”
Barnes, who is also chairman of the Cannabis Industry Council, also said that he would like to see the comprehensive cannabis clinic model that exists in the UK at the moment, move towards practices more focused on general conditions, such as pain clinics, where cannabis it's just one of a variety of treatments on offer.

“The cannabis clinic was the only way to get started,” Barnes said. “But I think if we assume that access will remain private, what I would like to see is a clinic where the doctor can look at all the possibilities, like physical therapy, exercise, over-the-counter drugs and cannabis just as part of their general arsenal.”

He added: “We want to embrace [cannabis] as a perfectly valid and perfectly safe part of medicine. So I think in the end, five or 10 years from now, the pure cannabis clinic will have turned into a more generic clinic.”

6 – The double stigma of cannabis and women’s health
In a panel that explored the role of cannabis in women's health, Dani Gordon, Vice President of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society, spoke about the stigma faced by women who find cannabis useful for a variety of medical conditions.

Gordon highlighted how the evidence base is often "skewed" to focus on the potential harms of cannabis rather than the benefits to a patient's pain or overall quality of life. Dani also said that while she "wasn't brave enough" to do so, in some cases, continuing to prescribe cannabis during pregnancy can do less harm than forcing a patient to return to other medications or let go of symptoms of her illness. untreated condition.

Dani Gordon, who has treated women of all ages at her clinic – her oldest patient being 89 years old – says the stigma is slowly being broken. The next steps? Also break down the stigma on mothers and fathers who use cannabis for recreational purposes.

“Who is your stakeholder? It's your patient and your doctor. This is how you make money, so understand what your patient wants, how you can connect with doctors, and invest money in that.” – Hannah Deacon

7 – Patients are the heart of the industry…
In a powerful panel discussion, speakers Hannah Deacon, Jacqueline Poitras (MAMAKA and IACM Patients Council), Monique Ellis (Chilam) and presenter Mary Biles urged that patient advocacy groups be taken seriously in the sector. The panel highlighted the hard work and long hours of volunteers who have pushed medical cannabis forward from the start, leading campaigns, educating and even building the evidence base.

Ellis, who is also an endometriosis patient, commented, “I come from a tech background where your underwriter is king. It’s exactly the same here – patients are the kings and queens of this industry.” “We need to make sure that we are engaging with advocacy groups and not just within the cannabis industry, we have to think about the 'naive' cannabis patients that exist outside of the kind of embryonic small industry that we are working with.”

8 – … Then Pay Them Fairly
The panel also asked for long-awaited financial support from companies looking to leverage their invaluable experience to “make money fast”. “All the information and experience they've gathered over the years, in their thousands of hours invested in it, is valuable information for these companies,” said Poitras.

Deacon added: “I don't think cannabis companies should treat this business model any differently than any other service sector… Who is your stakeholder? It's your patient and your doctor. That's how you make money. So understand what your patient wants, understand how you can connect with doctors and invest money in it.”

A small contribution of just £200 a month would allow Medcan Support, which provides support to dozens of families looking to try medical cannabis for their children, to hire a full-time staff member.

Big Narstie Highlights the Gap Between “Black Market and White Market” Cannabis
Rapper and cannabis enthusiast Big Narstie addressed the elephant in the room when he spoke about the huge gap between the predominantly “white” legal medical cannabis industry and the recreational market, which is a huge part of many diverse black and ethnic cultures, who use the plant for medicinal, spiritual and well-being purposes.

Narstie also expressed his ambitions to open a Rick Simpson clinic in the future, treating patients and running courses on how to use Rick Simpson Oil safely.

10 – Fair Trials launches global justice project
Representatives from the NGO “Fair Trials” and the “Last Prisoner Project” ended the conference with the announcement of a new global justice project that aims to provide relief for prisoners on cannabis-related convictions.

Through collaboration with local partners in appropriate jurisdictions, the Fair Trials project aims to identify people in need of legal assistance and will recruit, train and match volunteer lawyers to take on their cases.
________________________________________________________________

* Sarah Sinclair is a respected cannabis journalist and editor of Cannabis Health, the UK's leading title covering medical cannabis and CBD, and its sister titles, Cannabis Wealth and Psychedelic Health. A journalist trained at NCTJ, with experience in newspapers, magazines and digital publications, Sarah leads a small team of journalists that aims to challenge misconceptions and increase understanding of this issue.and new field of medicine, through high-quality journalism and education. Sarah is also a member of the PLEA (Patient-Led Engagement for Access) advisory board.