Five UK cannabis headlines to catch up on

Cannabis-related news has once again been making the mainstream press. Get up to date with the latest high-profile headlines here.

The likes of BBC, Daily Express, Daily Mail and The Courier have all published positive stories in recent weeks. Here are the five top headlines to have on your radar.

Medical cannabis could ease agitation and distress for people with dementia

The Daily Express has covered a new study that is underway at King’s College London to evaluate the effectiveness of Sativex in managing behavioural symptoms associated with dementia.

The medical cannabis product Sativex, which is currently used in the UK to treat multiple sclerosis,  could reduce distress in people with dementia with fewer adverse side effects than antipsychotic medication.

The lead researcher Chris Albertyn told the Express that alternatives to antipsychotic medication were urgently needed and medical cannabis could be a potential solution.

Mr Albertyn said: “We all have cannabinoids in us already which regulate our internal balance.

“When we feel pain, hungry, sleepy or our mood fluctuates, those are regulated by this internal endocannabinoid system which essentially brings us back to the middle anytime that we’ve gone to an extreme.

“That’s the target for us because it’s implicated in all these behavioural and psychological fluctuations that we have naturally. It’s just a matter of reducing the extremes.”

Australian pro basketball player comes out of retirement thanks to medical cannabis

The Daily Mail spoke to legendary Australian professional basketball player, Lauren Jackson, about her remarkable comeback at the age of 41. The internationally renowned athlete suffered from debilitating chronic pain following her retirement in 2013.

Now, after starting a medical cannabis prescription, she has been able to overcome the pain in her ankles and return to the Australian international team for the FIBA World Cup starting this September. She last played in the tournament in 2010.

“Making an official return to the world stage in a sport that I love is just an incredible feeling,” said Jackson. “I only made my return to the court just in April earlier this year and my treatment plan prior to playing again with medicinal cannabis plays a large part in my recovery from chronic pain.”

As cannabis remains on the World Anit Doping Agency’s prohibited list, Lauren has had to stop taking her medication since rejoining the team. She is currently awaiting the outcome of a therapeutic use exemption (TUE), which would allow her to use medical cannabis to help ease her chronic pain and improve her recovery.

Woman with terminal cancer who took cannabis to ease the pain fined

Heather Kennedy, a 60-year-old woman from Llandudno, has been given a six-month community order for possessing and supplying cannabis, as reported by WalesOnline. Kennedy put cannabis in her food to ease the pain associated with her stage-4 lung cancer and supplied the plant to her husband and one of her sons.

She had initially used legal cannabis oil which became too expensive so she turned to putting illicitly-obtained cannabis in her food to ease the pain. She also supplied her cannabis to her husband and a son but did not realise she was committing a crime by giving it to her family.

Readers of WalesOnline took to the comments of the newspaper’s Facebook page condeming the hearing and calling it a “waste of time and money”.

One reader said: “Everyone involved in the prosecution of this case should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.”

Another reader said: “What’s a bit of weed? Especially when it’s for medicinal use.”

First wholesale distribution agreement given to Guernsey medicinal cannabis company

A medical cannabis company based in Guernsey, 4C Labs, has reportedly received a licence to to import and distribute medicinal cannabis to and from Guernsey, the BBC reported last week. The company became the first on the island to receive a licence to grow medical cannabis in 2021.

“There are hundreds of symptoms and ailments with fibromyalgia. I wanted my life back. All my old tablets were in a box. I looked at them and thought I cannot do this any more, I need to find something else.”

Lisa’s research led her to The Medical Cannabis Clinics.

She added: “I woke up without pain, I could sleep and I’ve been pain-free since I went on the meds. Now I’ve got my life back. I’ve been on holiday with my daughter, something I’ve never done.”

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

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