UK to allow therapeutic cannabis

Therapeutic cannabis will be allowed in the UK on prescription from the UK autumn, Interior Secretary Said Javid said Thursday. "This will help patients with specific medical needs but this is by no means a first step towards legalizing recreational cannabis," he said in a statement. Several cases of sick people illegally treating themselves with a cannabis compound, including two children with epilepsy, Alfie Dingley and Billy Caldwell, taking cannabis oil, had recently been mediated.

Cannabis contains about 80 different cannabinoids. The best known are cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Unlike THC, CBD is not a staggering product – it does not affect mental activity and behavior. Many studies have shown that it is not dangerous to human health when it is administered orally over periods ranging from twenty days to six weeks.

Effects on pain and nausea

In January 2017, the American Academy of Sciences reported on the health effects of cannabis and its compounds. She concluded that some cannabinoids can help reduce nausea in chemotherapy patients, reduce chronic pain, and improve the symptoms of people with multiple sclerosis. But she also pointed out that there is an badociation between cannabis use and the development of schizophrenia or other psychiatric disorders.

Cannabis, which was clbadified as a drug with no therapeutic value in the United Kingdom, will change category. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will now "clearly define what constitutes a cannabis drug" so that they can be prescribed, a indicated the ministry.

These medications can take different forms: oral sprays, tablets, capsules or even oils. "Other forms of cannabis will be strictly controlled and will not be available on prescription," says the ministry. Because unlike cannabinoid-based drugs, recreational cannabis does not adjust cannabinoid doses. However, if the small dose THC provides a relaxing effect, it can instead cause panic attacks in case of repeated high doses, or even trigger psychiatric diseases in people with sensitive genetic background.

Several other European countries have already legalized therapeutic cannabis, such as Germany, Austria, Finland or Italy. In France, only one cannabis-based medicine has been authorized by the Drug Safety Agency. This is Sativex, a product for some patients with multiple sclerosis. But more than 4 years after its authorization in 2014, it is still not available, for lack of an agreement on its price. In May, Health Minister Agnès Buzyn announced that cannabis for therapeutic use "could" arrive in the hexagon.