5 minute read
Should medical cannabis be re-introduced into the British healthcare system?
Sara Lyden (OHS)
Medical cannabis today plays a controversial role in medicine and politics and there are strong arguments for and against the re-introduction of medical cannabis into the UK healthcare system. From ancient times, marijuana has been used in medicine, for its medicinal properties, however there are concerns about whether the advantages of medical marijuana outweigh the disadvantages of using this drug widely in healthcare. Currently in the UK, the use of medical cannabis is not widespread, but cannabis oil is allowed to be prescribed (this is tightly regulated and must be approved by a panel) to relieve and treat severe chronic conditions. This law was implemented following several cases where medical cannabis played a vital role in the treatment of epileptic patients, famously Alfie Dingley. There are also drugs such as Sativex, a derivative of hemp used to treat and relieve symptoms of MS. The US government approves the use of Epidiolex, a drug used to tackle childhood-onset epilepsy, suggesting that medical cannabis could be used more widely in the future. In recent years there has been little research surrounding marijuana in medicine because it is considered a schedule 1 drug, implying it has no accepted medical use and therefore making it illegal. This classification stalled research so many of the potential uses of medical cannabis have not been properly investigated and therefore at the moment there are very few medical practices where hemp is used. Currently, it is thought that marijuana could help manage nausea, weight loss, contribute to Glaucoma, PTSD, and IBS treatment. Furthermore, it is known to help relieve the symptoms of chronic pain (like MS and fibromyalgia). It has also been suggested to be an effective muscle relaxant which helps reduce shaking for Parkinson’s patients. Medical cannabis has immense potential and with more research, it may help a new demographic of patient, in fact it is thought that cannabidiolic acid has some bactericidal properties, but this has not been investigated in any depth. Despite medical cannabis having the potential to revolutionise treatments for many conditions, the large-scale re-introduction of hemp products would come with drawbacks, which could be considered characteristically similar to those of opioid drugs. Like most drugs, a potential problem that could arise from the widespread introduction of medical marijuana would be an addiction to cannabis which could be harmful to a patient, and expensive to treat. This could lead to the misuse of marijuana because some patients may become dependent on the drug and seek to obtain it when it is no longer needed for medical reasons. Another way in which medical cannabis could be misused is by those attempting to obtain the drug for non-medical reasons, including for recreation. If cannabis was readily available in healthcare, a situation mirroring the current opioid abuse epidemic could arise as more people would be exposed to marijuana and the drug may also become more acceptable in society due to its prevalence in medicine. There is also a possibility that clinicians could dispense medical cannabis too freely and it may result in an overuse of cannabis. A reverse of this could be that doctors may be too hesitant to prescribe hemp products (due to controversy), and so patients miss out on potentially more effective treatments. Disadvantages of medical cannabis may not only occur on a socioeconomic level, but also on a physiological basis. It is still unclear as to how beneficial cannabis is in medicine, due to lack of research in recent years. Known side effects of cannabis include; induced psycho-activity, anxiety, short term memory and coordination loss and these have consequences on the patient’s well-being. In spite of the potential issues that may arise from the use of medical cannabis, there are many positives surrounding hemp products. Currently, in the UK recreational cannabis is illegal and there is much criminal activity surrounding the drug. If cannabis products were legalised in medicine, it may result in a reduced black market for the drug as currently some obtain it to relive medical ailments. Medical cannabis is also deemed relatively safe to use, and it is agreed that it is safer than most opioid drugs. Medical marijuana could help relieve many chronic symptoms in patients and improve the quality of life for many. Currently in the US, chronic pain effects 25 million people and if marijuana could relieve this for some, it would have a great impact on their lives. Medical cannabis, with more research could be used to help relieve and cure some illnesses. Marijuana could also be used for palliative care in cancer patients, and it could potentially stop cancer from spreading, as well as alleviating nausea from chemotherapy. There is also hope for marijuana to be used to prevent Alzheimer’s, relieve arthritis, and help people with mental health related conditions such as anxiety or PTSD, to name but a few. It is clear that medical cannabis has the potential to revolutionise medicine, yet the specifics of the drug’s capability are still widely unknown. In conclusion, there are many arguments supporting and opposing medical marijuana. It is important that cannabis can be used in healthcare as it has the potential to positively contribute to the treatment and care of many. With more research around the use of medical cannabis, it is possible that hemp-based drugs
are capable of more than what is already known. It is important that if medical cannabis was introduced into the British healthcare system that doctors are trained on when to appropriately prescribe patients with cannabis, and also how to spot symptoms of misuse, as if not detected, it could have serious consequences for the patient. It is therefore important to have safe and good licencing practices and to agree on how accessible these drugs should be to patients, for example, should they only be administered in hospitals? In order to try and safely control medical cannabis, the MHRA are developing a clear definition of what constitutes a cannabis- derived medical product so they can be more widely prescribed in the future with ensured safety.
Bibliography
The Guardian News and Media Limited (date accessed 28/11/2018) Cannabis-based medicines get green light as UK eases rules: https://www.theguardian.com/ society/2018/jul/26/cannabis-based-medicines-getgreen-light-as-uk-eases-rules
N. Volkow, R. Baler, W. Compton, S.Weiss (date accessed 26/04/2018) Adverse Health Effects of Marijuana Use: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/ PMC4827335/
Healthline Media UK Ltd (date accessed 26/04/2018) Marijuana: Good or bad:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320984. php
T. Mikuriya (California medicine, January 1969) (date accessed 26/04/2018) Marijuana in medicine:
