Yesterday the German government has unveiled a detailed framework for the legalisation of cannabis, setting the country on course to becoming the world’s largest regulated national market for the drug. Germany’s health minister stated this was to regulate the distribution and consumption of recreational cannabis amongst adults, who were already consuming the drug in increasing numbers via the grey market. Should this law be passed, other European countries may follow suit which would mark a significant step towards large-scale decriminalisation and reduction of stigma surrounding its medicinal use. New research from Mamedica, the UK’s leading medical cannabis clinic, found that over half of Brits (56%) support the full legislation of cannabis. In a critical conversation about improving the accessibility and education around cannabis, Jon Robson, CEO/ founder of Mamedica, is available to comment on what this means for the UK in the coming years.
For medical purposes cannabis was legalised in 2018, however a new survey found that 1.8 million people are still accessing cannabis illicitly via the grey market to treat diagnosed illnesses. This widespread behaviour is indicative of an increased demand to acquire medical cannabis, however, Mamedica’s research found that 57% of Brits were not aware that prescription-based cannabis could be prescribed through private clinics, suggestive of a lack of awareness on safe and secure resources such as Mamedica.
Key findings:
81% think that there is a negative stigma associated with cannabis in the UK
56% of Brits support the full legalisation of cannabis in the UK
59% of Brits would consider taking medical cannabis to treat an ailment if recommended by a GP or specialist over traditional methods
57% of Brits did not know that medical cannabis can be prescribed through NHS and private prescriptions services in the UK
The discussions in the UK surrounding cannabis are opposing the news today from Germany, and have previously focused on reclassifying the substance to a Class A. However, this has since been revoked after receiving significant public backlash. These discussions fuel the already held negative association towards cannabis with 81% of people still believing there is a stigma towards the drug.
Mamedica is paving the way for medicinal cannabis in the UK by providing bespoke prescriptions for their patients. Prescription medical cannabis is manufactured to a pharmaceutical standard like any other medication to ensure safety and consistency of supply. Mamedica has a team of specialist practitioners, doctors and pharmacists who also use machine-learning algorithms to extract the most suitable prescribing decisions for the patient. This can then be delivered directly to the patient’s door within 24 hours.
In a discussion about what the next five years of prescription-based cannabis will look like in the UK and how to divert patients from obtaining treatment illicitly, Jon Robson, CEO of Mamedica says:
“I expect that over the next five years we will see mass adoption of private medical cannabis services in the UK, similar to what we have seen from German patients recently. At this point, the challenge is education and awareness however, once this barrier has been reduced, the medical market will inevitably pave the way for adult recreational sales as it has done in North America and in parts of Europe, where some countries are already legislating for sales by 2024.
“Our service offers unrestricted access to the widest range of cannabis-based prescription medicines available in the UK, and our healthcare model has been designed to deliver the fastest speed of service, from initial consultation to the patient receiving their prescription.”
