Experts are Telling UK Cannabis Clinics to Follow the Best Practice Guidelines in the Industry When Prescribing to Patients

The Care Quality Commission recently reported a 118% increase in prescriptions of unlicensed cannabis-based medicines between 2021 and 2023 and still the numbers continue to grow by at least 100% annually. Furthermore, the Safer Management of Controlled Drugs released a report in July highlighting several concerns with the current prescribing practices of cannabis-based medications. The report suggests that a review being carried out to monitor the impact of the 2018 law change could be highly beneficial. A few noted issues by CQC are firstly healthcare providers not always sharing information promptly with other professionals and patients facing difficulties in access to coordinated care. Furthermore, experts in the field have raised concerns about prescribing practices, describing them as contributing to a 'pseudo-recreational market'. Other concerns include patients being prescribed more than the recommended daily dosages and also requesting flower products that contain THC levels that exceed 30%.

Professor Mike Barnes who was the first Doctor in the UK who was granted a license to prescribe medical cannabis, and founder of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society (MCCS) - expresses concern about the volume of cannabis being prescribed to certain patients. It is his belief that the CQC should carefully inspect prescribing practices and look into patients who he feels have been prescribed medical cannabis for what he considers to be recreational purposes - rather than medical which is its intended purpose.

The Good Practice Guide for prescribing cannabis-based medicines has been recently issued by the MCCS. In the guide it is recommended that any prescriptions that exceed 2g of cannabis daily and/or strains that contain a THC content that exceeds 22% should be approved by a panel of peers before approving the prescription. This concern is raised by the fact that most patients don't require more than 2g daily, however, a lot of patients in this category are being prescribed up to 6g daily! Prof. Barnes makes the point that medical cannabis with higher THC levels may actually be less effective as a medical treatment due to lower levels of cannabinoids and terpenes present in these kind of strains.

Over the past year there has been an influx of North American cannabis brands in the UK, such as Cookies & Tyson 2.0. Which are both commonly associated with recreational use. The medical cannabis industry has also been urged to steer away from its obsession with flower, which makes up 80% of medical cannabis prescriptions in the UK. It has also been advised by the MCCS to not use strains like Girl Scout Cookies and Gorilla Glue. The reason for this is due to these types of strains being known as recreational cannabis rather than for medical grade purpose. Because of this some clinics have started using codes instead of traditional strain names to both maintain patient familiarity and meeting medical standards.

As regulators begin to pay closer attention to Prof. Barnes' observations and concerns he worries that the focus on recreational cannabis use could jeopardise the access to medical cannabis in the future. The Cannabis Industry Council (CIC), continually support effective regulatory oversight and is actively engaging with the CQC and other regulators to ensure compliance and full patient safety. Mike Morgan-Giles, CEO of CIC, calls for NHS digital and the government to enable electronic prescribing of cannabis-based medicines, which he has argued will lead to better medical outcomes, and more integrated healthcare. He also suggests that letting GPs prescribe medical cannabis would raise both awareness and understanding of its medical benefits, reduce NHS waiting lists and help more people return to work.

Written by Laura Bartlett 14/08/2024 at 22:03pm