Boom in UK medical cannabis industry: Number of users obtaining prescriptions projected to reach 337,000 by 2024
Mamedica is the UK’s leading medicinal cannabis clinic specialising in tailored cannabis-based prescriptions, from oil to cannabis flower. The service is one of the UK’s only clinics advocating for improved accessibility to a range of medical and natural solutions and offers bespoke treatment for a number of clinical and degenerative diseases across pain, psychiatry, neurology and cancer-related conditions.
The medical cannabis industry has seen overwhelming growth since it’s legalisation in 2018, with the number of medicinal cannabis users projected to reach 337,000 in the next two years. Our understanding of its effectiveness continues to deepen as evidence continues to support its beneficial effects on several medical ailments. For example, an existing study found that from 2011 to 2015 the number of patients administered cannabis for pain relief more than doubled from 33,189 to 72,114 people – with users reporting mitigation in inflammation and improved functional outcomes. However, despite its popularity within private healthcare settings, its efficacy for management of long-term health conditions has received less attention in the public domain.
With Medical Cannabis Awareness Week approaching in the first week of November, services such as Mamedica, are continuing to promote improved awareness, accessibility and better public knowledge about the industry. This comes amidst a new survey which reports just short of 1.8 million people in the UK with diagnosed medical conditions, ranging from anxiety disorders to chronic pain, are turning to illegally obtained cannabis to manage their illnesses. Thus, further supporting the need for enhanced education about how people can access treatment safely and securely.
According to the Department of Health, there are eight million chronic pain sufferers in Britain, 24% of whom are typically prescribed opioids – a group of highly addictive painkillers, which has been proven to be ineffective amongst millions of chronic pain sufferers. In contrast, 80% of people who have been prescribed medical cannabis have not experienced an adverse health event since starting their treatment. Whilst the government’s stance on legalising cannabis is unabating, public support for legal cannabis in the UK is at an all-time high, as a recent survey showed that over half of Brits (52%) support the legalisation of cannabis. To this end, current arguments to keep cannabis criminalised in this country continue to get weaker, while the public health benefits become more apparent.
Following the news that Germany is now following in the footsteps of countries like Canada and Spain in legalising cannabis, Jon Robson, CEO/founder of Mamedica, predicts the UK is likely to follow suit and introduce mainstream access to prescription-based treatments, he says:
“I expect that over the next five years we will see mass adoption of private medical cannabis services in the UK, similar to what we have seen from German patients recently. At this point, the challenge is education and awareness however, once this barrier has been reduced, the medical market will inevitably pave the way for adult recreational sales as it has done in North America and in parts of Europe, where some countries are already legislating for sales by 2024.”
Who is eligible to use Mamedica’s services?
The service can be accessed by anyone, on a referral basis, that meets the health criteria and is over the age of 18. The service user will have to have had at least two other licensed medications or therapies for their condition, prior to accessing Mamedica, as prescribed by a GP or other licensed specialist. To be eligible, the patient should have no prior or existing diagnosis of Schizophrenia or Psychosis.
How does the service work?
Upon referral, the client will be asked a series of questions to ensure they are eligible to access treatment. Should a person qualify, a specialist from the team will retrieve their Patient Records from existing NHS portals. Once all existing health records have been received, the patient will then be booked in for an initial consultation, followed by a follow-up consultation the next month, and will then receive their prescribed and bespoke treatment package delivered to their door. Patients can then expect to attend regular, quarterly meetings to monitor and assess the effectiveness of their treatment.
