A CALL has gone out from the UK government to medical cannabis patients and their families to help contribute to an official review of the 2018 UK medical cannabis law change, which launched this week.
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) is currently reviewing the impact of the 2018 changes to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 which included legalising cannabis-based products for medicinal use (CBPMs).
The ACMD wants to establish if the legislation had the intended impact and to identify any unintended consequences, while making recommendations on how to mitigate them in future.
A raft of professionals and patients are being called on to contribute to ensure the review is as thorough and far-reaching as possible – including individuals with ‘lived or living experience’ of medical cannabis. Healthcare professionals, researchers and academics as well as importers and manufacturers are also being consulted.
It explains that CBPMs are “cannabis-based products for medicinal use in humans that have not been assessed by the medicines regulator” which, since the 2018 law change, can now be prescribed by specialist doctors on the General Medical Council under strict conditions.
Questions in an on-line survey include opinions on the positive and negative effects of CBPMs, the main issues faced by patients from the NHS and/or private clinics and the impact of the 2018 law change on individuals.
The review comes seven years after the medical cannabis law change on November 1st 2018 which meant doctors no longer needed to seek approval from an expert panel in order for patients to access the medicines and saw it being allowed to be prescribed by doctors on the General Medical Council (GMC).
It also didn’t limit the types of conditions that can be considered for treatment.
Home Secretary Sajid Javid said at the time:
“Having been moved by heartbreaking cases involving sick children, it was important to me that we took swift action to help those who can benefit from medicinal cannabis.”
“We have now delivered on our promise and specialist doctors will have the option to prescribe these products where there is a real need.”
President of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Ash Soni said, according to PharmaTimes magazine:
“This news will be welcomed by many patients with a range of serious health conditions. The prospect of a future where safe and effective licensed cannabis-based medicines can be prescribed to help relieve suffering is genuinely exciting,”
added president of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Ash Soni.
“Moving cannabis-based medicinal products from Schedule 1 to Schedule 2 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 will now make it easier for research into these products to take place.”
Anyone wishing to submit evidence should do so by October 17 by completing the questionnaire online or return the downloadable version to the ACMD Secretariat at: acmd@homeoffice.gov.uk
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