Channel Islands fill out over 2,000 medical cannabis prescriptions

In the English Channel that separates the United Kingdom (UK) and France, the Channel Islands are way ahead when it comes to medicinal cannabis – with over 2,000 prescriptions. The Channel Islands are paving the way for a new economic sector thanks to a looser approach than the mainland.

Under the UK medical cannabis regime, general practitioners (GPs) are generally unable to routinely prescribe medical cannabis through the National Health Service (NHS). Only people with severe persistent epilepsy and other rare diseases are eligible, and often parents don’t have time to wait. Infinite bureaucratic nonsense makes it almost impossible to get a prescription. For example, two years after the UK change in law, only 10 NHS prescriptions had been issued. But things are different on the Channel Islands.

The islands are ruled by two crown dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey and the Bailiwick of Guernsey. (The Isle of Man, near Ireland, is the Crown’s third dependency.) They are known as havens of tax-friendly regulation, and all of them introduced new laws that make medical cannabis easier to invest in. As in the UK, cannabis is a Class B banned substance in the Channel Islands with associated penalties.

Jersey law was changed to allow medical cannabis. On January 1st, 2019, it became legal for doctors in Jersey to prescribe cannabis-based products for medicinal purposes. In April 2019 it became legal to import CBD-based products with a maximum of three percent THC on a dry weight basis to the island. On July 27, 2020, the law was updated to allow imports of a three-month supply of medical cannabis.

The Jersey government issued the first licenses for the commercial cultivation of medicinal cannabis last January. Patients now have access to prescriptions and clinics such as Medicann offer consultations directly with patients or through referral from a family doctor or specialist. Guernsey is also in the process of approving multiple cultivation licenses, as reported last September.

The Jersey Evening Post reports that Dr. Charlotte Cocks, who works with the local Medicann Jersey clinic, said changes in law to allow primary care physicians to prescribe medicinal cannabis had essentially resulted in a “trial” on the islands.

“In Jersey and Guernsey we are leading in Europe and safe ahead of the UK as GPs follow a model from many ponds in Canada, the US and Australia who have been prescribing medicinal cannabis for many years,” she said.

The Patient Representative Board was formed on November 4th to focus on patient concerns and industry issues in the Channel Islands as well as the Isle of Man.

Doctors in the region believe that medicinal cannabis is effective not only for people suffering from persistent epilepsy, but also chronic pain, sleep problems, anxiety / mood disorders, and end-of-life care.

“We’re under scrutiny on this new drug, and that’s right and right, so let’s take a look at this and celebrate the fact that we can now prescribe it,” said Cocks. “If a GP wants to find out more – great, join the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society. You don’t have to be a prescribing doctor, it serves as an educational forum and there are a variety of webinars with prescribing doctors answering questions. We try to inspire people and help doctors help patients who have gotten into a corner where they are not sure where to go, ”she said.

Doctors in the Channel Islands pave the way for other general practitioners.

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