International
UK: NHS not prescribing cannabis flower to patients. Medicinal Cannabis Awareness Week kicks off today
The UK’s national health service, the NHS, is not prescribing cannabis flower-based medicines to any patients, including those with conditions such as epilepsy, chronic pain and cancer, according to new research from the Cannabis Industry Council (CIC). There are an estimated 45.000 patients prescribed medicinal cannabis in the UK private sector, but only 1.104 patients were prescribed licensed cannabis medicines in 2023. These discoveries come at the start of Medicinal Cannabis Awareness Week, which kicks off today and ends on 7 November.
CIC asked 152 NHS Foundation Trusts in England how many individuals they had prescribed cannabis flower to between 2019 and 2023. No NHS Trust responded saying they had ever prescribed cannabis flower to patients during this period.
Only 27% of NHS Foundation Trusts responded that they prescribed licensed cannabis-based medicines – such as Epidyolex and Sativex – to their patients. The remainder said they did not (38%) or did not respond (35%).
The Freedom of Information (FoI) request also found that only 1.104 patients in 2023 were prescribed licensed cannabis medicines, an increase of just 127 patients compared to 2021. The number of children receiving licensed cannabis medicines decreased during this period.
According to Cannabis Industry Council co-chairs Callie Seaman and Jamie Bartley, “These shocking findings from the Cannabis Industry Council show how the NHS is failing patients in desperate need.”
When prescription cannabis was legalised six years ago, this was not the situation that patients were promised or expected. “It is time for the NHS to take action to expand public funding for cannabis-based medicines. A clear pathway should be established for patients to access prescriptions through the NHS, while private prescriptions could also be reimbursed from the public purse,” the CIC said.
The findings come despite prescription cannabis being legalized in 2018 for the treatment of any medical condition. Cannabis-based prescription medications can be critical for patients, especially those with rare or chronic diseases that other medications cannot effectively control.
There are an estimated 45.000 patients prescribed medicinal cannabis in the UK private sector, which is significantly lower than in countries such as Germany and Australia. Due to challenges in accessing prescribed cannabis, some adult patients resort to using opioid painkillers or addictive antidepressants, or accessing cannabis outside the illicit market for medicinal reasons.
The CIC is calling on the NHS to establish a clear and accessible pathway for patients to access medicinal cannabis in NHS consultations and to start reimbursing private prescriptions.
About FoI Request
152 NHS Foundation Trusts in England were contacted by the CIC with a freedom of information request. Around 99 (65%) responded between 12 February and 28 May 2024. 53 did not respond.
The following questions were asked:
How many individuals have been prescribed cannabis flos (flower) by your NHS Trust?
How many individuals have been prescribed cannabis-based medicines by your NHS Trust?
How many individuals under the age of 18 have been prescribed cannabis-based medicines by your NHS Trust?
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[Disclaimer: Please note that this text was originally written in Portuguese and is translated into English and other languages using an automatic translator. Some words may differ from the original and typos or errors may occur in other languages.]____________________________________________________________________________________________________
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With a degree in Journalism from the University of Coimbra, Laura Ramos has a postgraduate degree in Photography and has been a Journalist since 1998. Winner of the Business of Cannabis Awards in the category "Journalist of the Year 2024", Laura was a correspondent for Jornal de Notícias in Rome, Italy, and Press Officer in the Office of the Minister of Education of the 21st Portuguese Government. She has an international certification in Permaculture (PDC) and created the street-art photography archive “Say What? Lisbon” @saywhatlisbon. Co-founder and Editor of CannaReporter® and coordinator of PTMC - Portugal Medical Cannabis, Laura directed the documentary “Pacientes” and was part of the steering group of the first Postgraduate Course in GxP's for Medicinal Cannabis in Portugal, in partnership with the Military Laboratory and the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Lisbon.
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