Is medical cannabis legal in the UK?
Medicinal cannabis is the term used to describe a medication that has been derived from cannabis and is used to treat certain health conditions. It is also used as pain relief and to treat the side effects that can occur with other prescribed drugs. Cannabis-based medicines (CBMs) contain the cannabinoids delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), or a combination of both. THC is the compound in cannabis that causes the ‘high’ effect, whereas CBD does not have this effect on the brain. Legal medical cannabis does not give the feeling of being ‘high’ because the CBD used counteracts these side effects.
The legality of medical cannabis
Medicinal cannabis was declared legal in the UK on the 1st of November 2018, mainly because of one high profile case that came to everyone’s attention. Charlotte Caldwell, the mother of a fifteen-year-old boy suffering from a rare case of epilepsy, had her son’s medicinal cannabis confiscated at Heathrow airport after obtaining the medication in Canada, where it was already legal. Eventually, the home office made medical cannabis legal as they realised people were simply sourcing it from other countries that prescribed medical cannabis. It is completely legal to use medical cannabis and to keep it with you just as it’s legal for expert doctors to prescribe it to some patients as well. As long as you have been prescribed medical cannabis it is completely within the law.
Obtaining legal medical cannabis
Only specialised hospital doctors are allowed to prescribe legal medical cannabis, and not GP’s, which has caused some controversy because it is virtually impossible for many people to obtain legal medical cannabis on prescription. Currently, NHS hospital doctors will only prescribe it to patients that are having severe side effects from chemotherapy and other treatments to combat these have not worked, or those suffering from certain types of epilepsy and people who are having bad muscles spasms because they have multiple sclerosis. Many doctors are very reluctant to prescribe it as most do not have expert knowledge on the benefits. The best way to obtain legal medical cannabis is to visit a private and specialised <a href=”https://www.londoncannabisclinic.com/>cannabis clinic</a> because as medicinal cannabis is now legal, expert doctors who work with this type of medication are now able to prescribe it for a whole range of conditions. You must obtain legal medical cannabis from an expert who will know how much to prescribe you and the type of medical cannabis they prescribe to you will be completely safe and effective.
Conditions legal medical cannabis is good for
A lot of studies has been carried out on the benefits of legal medical cannabis and it has been proven to be a very beneficial painkiller, as well as aiding mobility, poor sleep and lack of appetite that usually occurs alongside chronic pain. It can be used to treat the pain from conditions such as:
– Arthritis
– Back pain
– Fibromyalgia
– Neck pain
Many people still associate the word cannabis with smoking a joint, but that is no longer the case at all. Medical cannabis is taken in a variety of different ways including tablet form or inhaling from a vapour. People are now realising the benefits of legal medical cannabis and hopefully, it will soon be prescribed by more hospital doctors so that those that need it can obtain it quickly.
If you believe medicinal cannabis could help you, get in touch with the London Cannabis Clinic today.