A new survey has revealed that two thirds of people in Birmingham are in support of medical cannabis as a treatment for certain health conditions, with many of these advocates of the belief that medical cannabis can provide hope for people who have not responded to other therapies.
Despite a majority of support and desire to see medical cannabis developed further, there is also a clear gap in awareness over how it can be accessed among both the general population and those who are personally open to using it to treat their existing medical condition.
This research was conducted by Wellford Medical Clinics as part of a survey of 2,000 adults to assess people's attitudes and perceptions of medical cannabis.
Medical cannabis was legalised in 2018, but the survey results show that 71% of Birmingham residents either incorrectly think that prescriptions for it are only available through the NHS or that it cannot be prescribed for any health conditions.
Among those in Birmingham who stated they would consider a prescription for medical cannabis to manage an existing condition or symptom, more than a third of them admitted they don’t know how to access it as a prescription and that they are unsure if it is an appropriate treatment.
At present, the National Health Service considers prescribing medical cannabis for three conditions: epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and the side effects of chemotherapy. However, few patients with these conditions can access it through the NHS, so thousands of patients with these and other eligible conditions are obliged to seek a prescription from specialist consultants in private clinics.
A 2023 study by Liverpool John Moores University identified additional barriers preventing UK patients from accessing medical cannabis, including a lack of funding streams, bureaucratic supply issues, and insufficient training for both doctors and police. Even those who were able to obtain a prescription reported feeling stigmatised when using it in public.
This stigmatism was also highlighted in Wellford’s survey with more than one in four people in Birmingham believing that it’s time to re-evaluate our societal attitudes to medical cannabis and recognise its therapeutic potential.
Joshua Roberts, Chief Business Officer for Wellford is concerned to see so little awareness and so much confusion over medical cannabis seven years since the UK government legalised its use: “The net result is that there are people suffering who shouldn’t be,” he says.
“Most worrying of all is that even some patients who have one of the three specific conditions that the NHS will consider prescribing for, still believe that medical cannabis cannot be prescribed for any health conditions.”
To learn more about how medical cannabis is legally prescribed publicly and privately in the UK for eligible patients, you can consult guides from:
- The NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/medical-cannabis/
- Wellford Medical Clinics: https://wellfordclinics.com/how-to-access-medical-cannabis/