UK medical cannabis news – this week’s top stories

Switched off over the bank holiday weekend? Get up to speed with the latest cannabis headlines from across the mainstream media this week.

The last week has seen positive developments for children with severe epilepsy in the UK.

Meanwhile, Irish patients are leaving their home country to access their medicine legally and a mum-of-three is campaigning to eradicate the stigma surrounding medical cannabis.

Here we’ve summarised four high-profile medical cannabis news stories from the last week.

Medicinal cannabis funded for epileptic children on NHS waiting list

Three major cannabis producers, Althea, Canopy Growth and Cellen have agreed to provide free medicinal cannabis products to children with severe epilepsy who are currently awaiting assessment by the Refractory Epilepsy Specialist Clinical Advisory Service (RESCAS)

As many as 90 families in the UK are going through the process to apply for funding for their child’s treatment but the process can take up to eight months.

The move came following calls from the I AM Billy Foundation, led by campaigner Charlotte Caldwell.

Ms Caldwell told inews: “During the period when Billy was being considered for NHS funding, I was fortunate enough to have his medical cannabis gifted by the manufacturer who was supplying it via a private prescription. Not all patients are as lucky as Billy, which is why I took up the mantle myself and went to the manufacturers to ask them to help. I am delighted to secure such a potentially life-changing outcome for fellow paediatric epileptic patients.”

Mum-of-three speaks out to end stigma

In an interview with ITV, medical cannabis patient and mum-of-three, Catherine Scott, spoke about her battles with endometriosis and the impact that medical cannabis has had on her life.

“If any large amount of pain came on, I would be blue-lighted to have cysts removed immediately,” Catherine told ITV News.

“That happened four or five times before it got to the point I was actually losing blood a lot of the month. Then they did a total hysterectomy and removed both ovaries and put me on HRT.”

Since starting on a medical cannabis trial, Catherine said the plant has “changed her life”.

“I’ve dropped so many meds, I feel so much better. This can save lives. It’s definitely saved mine,” she said.

Irish chronic pain patients emigrating for access

According to the Patients for Safe Access (PFSA) advocacy group, a growing number of Irish patients with chronic pain are emigrating to access medical cannabis, as reported by the Irish Independent.

PFSA director Martin O’Brien said the country’s current Medical Cannabis Access Programme is limited and that people in need are experiencing real suffering, forcing them to emigrate in some cases.

“In spite of the evidence showing the benefits of cannabis in treating chronic pain, which so many people suffer from, the Government has slammed the door shut,” he said.

He added that this meant patients have to exhaust several medical avenues before being allowed to avail of the scheme, and there is a need to open it up to anyone with a condition that can be treated with medical cannabis.

One patient, PhD student Alicia Maher, told the Irish Independent that she had to move to Spain in 2019 to access her medicine.

She said: “Nobody should have to struggle to get the medicine they need, but for many Irish people who require medical cannabis that is the reality.

“And for more than a few people that entails travelling back and forth between countries, bringing sick relatives on journeys they should not have to make. In my case, I have had to leave my family just to be able to get by. This has to end.”

Daily Mail covers Olivia Newton-John’s campaigning efforts

Following the death of Olivia Newton-John earlier this month, the Daily Mail reported on the actor’s plans to write a letter to Victoria’s new health minister, Australia‘s federal health minister and Prime Minister Anthony Johnson as part of her efforts to widen access to medical cannabis.

The actress, singer and cancer campaigner, who died of cancer aged 73, grew cannabis on her ranch and used it to help alleviate her own symptoms, describing the herb as the “magical miracle plant”.

She continued to lobby right up until her death.

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