Cannabis-based medicines were legalized for prescription in the UK in 2018. At the time the government concluded that evidence was strong enough to support freeing up doctors to prescribe it. Since then some 90,000 people across the country have taken up medical cannabis treatment through private clinics, and research has only increased.
Today, the majority of British medical cannabis patients report satisfactory outcomes and even distinct quality of life improvements after starting treatments – even if clinical trial evidence is often inconclusive. However, it is important to recognise that medical cannabis is not an isolated panacea. There is evidence for its efficacy in treating many long-term chronic conditions, when combined with other holistic treatments, and in reducing opioid use in those with long-term pain. However, clinical outcomes are less clear and more study is needed.
Why Interactions Matter and How it Is Prescribed
Medical cannabis occupies a unique space in the British healthcare system. It is one of the few treatments only a certified medical doctor can prescribe, but it isn’t available on the NHS – or at least in any meaningful quantities. That is because the NHS’ medicines regulator NICE has not licensed medical cannabis for general prescription on the national service, leaving patients to seek care through paid-for private clinics.
For example this list of UK medical cannabis clinics shows you just how competitive the sector is right now. There are a dozen options and they can be compared across prices, range and quality of treatments or products and customer ratings of their quality of care.
These clinics have to be even more mindful of potential drug interactions and other possible difficulties in the patient journey, because they’re private operations that aren’t anywhere near the same scale as the NHS.
In fact NICE specifically recommends private doctors carefully consider drug interactions when prescribing medical cannabis. While the temporary side-effects of cannabis have been known for thousands of years and are not considered dangerous on their own, effects such as sedation, dizziness and nausea can be potentiated by other pharmaceuticals.
Medical Cannabis-Adjunct Treatment is Showing Promise
Adjunct is the medical term for treatment given alongside primary therapies, and this is an area in which medical cannabis shows much promise. If you look at a list of conditions that medical cannabis is prescribed for in the UK right now, you might see that many of them are in fact symptoms of wider diseases or health problems.
For example, cannabis is often prescribed in the UK right now for chronic pain – and patients overwhelmingly report positive outcomes. 90% or more of them across several large studies, who reported quality of life improvements – such as a decrease in time to fall asleep – that suggest cannabis’ use beyond a simple analgesic. However, few people would suggest medical cannabis should replace opioids in hospitals for severe, short-term pain.
Cannabis has also shown promise treating orthopaedic conditions like arthritis, but usually when combined with physical therapy. In one 2021 study of 61 British adults with chronic back pain over 6 years, 55% achieved a significant reduction in opioid use after six months and 26% discontinued opioids completely.
Yet systematic reviews clinical trials have often concluded there is not enough evidence for certainty. That is partly because unlike many pharmaceuticals, cannabis can be quite variable depending on physiology and mindset of the patient. Even something like the particular clinic you choose can affect your experience, because of the variety of products and cannabis-based medicines available.
Reputable UK medical cannabis clinics will be able to guide you through the process every step of the way, from the basic level of what a cannabis clinic is and the law, to the requirements and prescription process. A top clinic will have tens of thousands of patients, and therefore hundreds of clinicians on staff to support prospective and ongoing patients with all the information they need.
Studies Suggest It Could Help People Use Fewer Opioids
While clinical, randomized control trial studies are less certain, patient-reported evidence would suggest that medical cannabis can help people cut down on opioid use – whether that’s medical patients dealing with chronic pain or even people with opioid use disorders.