{"id":23693,"date":"2022-03-23T14:58:40","date_gmt":"2022-03-23T14:58:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabishealthnews.co.uk\/?p=23693"},"modified":"2022-03-24T09:43:17","modified_gmt":"2022-03-24T09:43:17","slug":"patients-not-criminals-cannabis-campaigner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabishealthnews.co.uk\/2022\/03\/23\/patients-not-criminals-cannabis-campaigner\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cTreat us as patients, not criminals\u201d says cannabis campaigner"},"content":{"rendered":"
Home<\/a><\/span> \u00bb Patients<\/a><\/span> \u00bb \u201cTreat us as patients, not criminals\u201d says cannabis campaigner<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/div>\r\n

George Hutchings has been campaigning for NHS access to medical cannabis for almost a decade, after it transformed his quality of life following his diagnosis of a rare, debilitating condition.\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\r\n

Eight years ago, George Hutchings travelled from his home on the Isle of Wight to Holland in an attempt to collect medical cannabis, which he was using to manage the symptoms of <\/span>Charcot-Marie Tooth disease (CMT) type two.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

CMT is a progressive condition, caused by damage to the peripheral nerve. It causes gradual muscle wastage and severe neuropathic pain, among other symptoms.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

There is no cure for CMT, and George was prescribed a range of medication to help him manage the pain, including opioids, muscle relaxants and antidepressants. The only thing that helped was Tramadol, but it turned him into a \u201czombie\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

\u201cAfter eight tablets a day I was just a wreck, my moods would change, it was horrible,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

After searching for alternative treatments online, George came across cannabis. It completely transformed his quality of life.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

\u201cIt\u2019s brilliant, it\u2019s a wonder drug,\u201d George says to the camera, in Forbidden Medicine, a film that was made to document his journey at the time.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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Cannabis campaigner George Hutchings.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\r\n

\u201cIt helps with the cramps in my muscles, the cramps in my hamstrings, it helps with my diet, it helps me sleep at night, it helps me with my depression. I find it more beneficial than any of the tablets that I\u2019m prescribed that my doctors want me to take.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

George collected his medicine from a pharmacy in Holland and declared it at customs in Southampton Airport. But despite him having a prescription, the cannabis was confiscated and returned home empty handed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

This was just one attempt George made during this period, to highlight the plight of patients who relied on cannabis for a range of symptoms and conditions, but were still treated as criminals.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Through his supportive MP, he attended meetings with politicians in Westminster and even carried out a judicial review against the then Home Secretary, Theresa May, after his application for an import\/export licence was refused.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

George has always campaigned for medical cannabis<\/a> to be available through the NHS.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

\u201cI’ve always argued that it should be a health issue and not a home office issue,\u201d he says now.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

\u201cIt should always be in the doctor’s hands, especially when someone has a diagnosed condition. I’ve always wanted to be able to go down to my local pharmacy and get it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

CMT is genetic, so George had lived with it all his life, but wasn\u2019t diagnosed until the age of 45. As a recreational cannabis user since his teens, he credits this for preventing the condition progressing for so long.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Eight years on, his symptoms have spread up his legs, and he\u2019s noticing signs of muscle wastage in his arms too. He has to wear braces when he walks to stop his feet dropping and he struggles to lift things.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

In the time since he stepped back from campaigning, medical cannabis has been legalised in the UK, although it’s only available through private clinics, with just three prescriptions having been issued on the NHS.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Despite having explored the option of a private prescription, George is still accessing his medication from the illegal market.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

\u201cWhether I have a prescription or not, I still use cannabis as a medicine, I still use that for my pain relief,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

\u201cIf I ever get caught, that’s my argument in the courts.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n