The UK’s first ever medical cannabis clinic has opened in Manchester, giving some people hope of easier access to legal cannabis.
However, The Beeches Consulting Centre, which opened on Saturday, charges patients £200 for an appointment with a physician, while a prescription costs £600 – £700.
Obviously, this puts treatment at the clinic out of reach for many people.
Since medical cannabis was legalised in the UK in November last year, only four people have actually been able to obtain it. This is due to a lack of education in the health services, administrative barriers and years of public brainwashing.
What conditions qualify?
The clinic, which will be privately run, is set up to
It’s also apparently going to treat people with psychiatric problems such as anxiety, PTSD and depression.
An interesting selection of illnesses, not all of them on the government’s list of suitable medical conditions to qualify for medical cannabis – like depression, for example.
There are of course a plethora of medical studies to show that cannabis is a very suitable treatment for depression with little side effects, so it will be interesting to see how this pans out.
Backed by cannabis investment group
The clinic is the first of several being opened around the UK by European Cannabis Holdings, a medical cannabis investment group that already owns a number of well-known brands in the fledgeling European medical cannabis industy.
The UK’s first cannabis clinic will be led by Dr David Dowell, who made himself by being the first ever doctor to prescribe medical cannabis in the UK.
Professor Mike Barnes will be the clinical director. He says:
‘This clinic will represent a lifeline to those who have found other treatments ineffective. This also brings the UK into line with other countries when it comes to pain management…The hope is that over time patients all around the country and not just in Manchester will have access to the relief that they need.’
Long-winded proceedures
Patients trying to access medical cannabis in the UK have found huge barriers between them and their medicine.
Before being able to get a prescription, you must first prove that all other legal (chemical) treatments have not had any positive effects on you.
Having done this you must then get the approval of an NHS Trust Medical Director. If successful, you must then find a suitable doctor who is happy to accept liability for your treatment… which will be next to impossible.
This monstrosity of administration is just not acceptable and is a far cry from how patients access medical cannabis in the rest of the civilized world.
Hypocrisy
The difficulty in accessing cannabis medicines is verging on criminal. Especially when you consider the fact that the UK is already the largest exporter of medical cannabis in the world! Hypocrisy at its finest.
It’s clear to see that the UK’s medical cannabis program has massive progress to be made yet. These clinics will definitely help the problem, but only if you can afford to access private healthcare, which most of us can’t.
Thank goodness so many CBD products (like CBD flower) are available legally, and that the illegal THC-rich stuff is pretty easy to get nowadays for many people.
