 for Medical Cannabis under Prescription has made a number of recommendations.){kind=link}
The UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for Medical Cannabis under Prescription (APPG) has issued a series of recommendations to its government.
The Group, which was established in July 2018, provides a platform for Parliamentarians from all parties to interact with doctors, patients, researches and experts in the industry on access to medical cannabis.
Although it’s seven years after medical cannabis became legal in the UK, a group of activists says that the industry continues to be held back due to excessive red tape. In that period, only 6 prescriptions funded by the National Health Service for full spectrum medicines were issued. Around 75,000 patients have received cannabis.
“This costs an average of about £300 per month plus consultation fees, so over £4,000 pa, which is simply not affordable for most people,” says the APGG.
The group says that, in addition to this, 1.4 million individuals still depend on illegal cannabis for medicinal purposes.
“Without immediate reform, patients will suffer. And the UK will miss a chance once in a generation to develop a world leading medical cannabis sector,” says the APPG. The APPG states that “Medical cannabis has already saved lives in other countries and reduced healthcare costs. We know there is a strong evidence base to support it.”
In its report the APGG makes a number recommendations relating:
- The policy reform that supports patient access to care and clinical confidence.
- Building National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE), guidance on the basis of real-world evidence.
- To secure economic benefits, support UK exporters and producers.
- A review should be conducted across all sectors to eliminate regulatory and duplication.
A conservative estimate of revenue is that the industry could generate about £5 billion per annum. On the patient side, if cannabis was provided to chronic pain patients instead of other treatments — and given the number of people with chronic pain in the UK — then the potential savings could amount to over £23.6 billion. Medical cannabis would not work for everyone, but it gives an indication of what the economic potential is.
Summary of the Report: “We need to urgently explore ways of improving patient access, and developing an industry that will be beneficial to millions of patients as well as contribute substantially to the UK Economy,” states the summary.
The complete APGG for Medical cannabis under prescription report can be viewed here.