New Report by Sadiq Khan Calls On Government To Support Fair Access to Medical Cannabis Is Backed By Leading Clinic

Sadiq Khan Calls On Government To Support Fair Access to Medical Cannabis

A new report commissioned by Sadiq Khan is urging the government to support fair access to medical cannabis.

Research by the independent London Drugs Commission (LDC), which was published last week – a year after being set up by the London mayor – calls for some decriminalisation of the illegal drug for private use – and also suggests changes in the government’s approach towards medical cannabis.

It proposes the government undertake more extensive research into its use, benefits and accessibility, including addressing cost barriers, so there are more options for those looking at alternatives to medicine prescribed on the NHS.

One of the leading UK medical cannabis clinics, Lyphe, has backed the proposals, saying de-stigmatising medical cannabis would offer better choice to people who find certain medications come with numerous side-effects or aren’t working.

Karen Sharp, Head of Clinical Governance at Lyphe Clinic said of the report:

“The more medical cannabis is de-stigmatised for people – the more choice there is for people who are suffering with medication that has a long list of side effects and just doesn’t work for them.”

“We hope the suggestions of further research into medical cannabis in this report by the LDC to provide better access for people is heeded by the government going forward.”

The section on medical cannabis within the 320-page report started off by highlighting how cannabis has been used around the world for millennia for a range of issues including “to treat pain and various medical (physical and psychological) ailments.” It also pointed out that cannabis-based products were legally available in the UK, via the NHS, until 1971.

Medical cannabis was legalised in the UK in 2018 and currently specialist doctors can prescribe cannabis-based products for certain medical conditions

The report went on to highlight how people using cannabis for medical purposes “find it provides relief where conventional medication has failed: their aim is to treat their condition, not get high.”

It also added how it could help in reducing opioid prescribing, explaining:

“It is particularly common among those with conditions causing severe and chronic pain is a desire to stop taking prescription opioids – a desire shared by government and health bodies who have raised considerable concern about opioid prescribing rates in the UK. So much so that there has been a recent crackdown on opioid prescribing and it seems to us, anything that can help this effort should be fully considered.”

It went on:

“Wider research undertaken in support of our inquiries suggested the public largely feel use of cannabis for medicinal purposes is appropriate if prescribed by GPs or other healthcare professionals. An inherent public trust in medical models of management leads to an assumption that cannabis would be safe in these circumstances, and that the healthcare system would prescribe appropriately.”

It also concluded more research needs to be done on Cannabis-based products for medicinal use (CBPMs) such as Project 21, a UK-based clinical project which aimed at making medical cannabis more accessible and affordable and the Cannabis & Me studies led by Kings College, London, a large-scale research project investigating the effects of cannabis use on individuals.

It said:

“We recommend that research programmes such as the T21 and Cannabis & Me studies should be funded to explore the effectiveness of CBPMs in treating a wider range of conditions, including but not limited to chronic pain. These must be funded and led by independent, objective bodies such as the Medical Research Council.”

Responding to the report, the mayor Sadiq Khan said:

“I’ve long been clear that we need fresh thinking on how to reduce the substantial harms associated with drug-related crime in our communities.”

He added:

“We must recognise that better education, improved healthcare and more effective, equitable policing of cannabis use are long overdue.“

In March, Dame Diana Johnson, a minister at the department, said the government had “no plans” to legalise cannabis but did not address decriminalisation.

The London Drugs Commission Report can be found here.

News article by Lyphe Clinic, the UK’s leading medical cannabis clinic

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