Editorial Team
Forbes, Cannabis Health, Business of Cannabis, Drug Science, Labroots Inc, The British Medical Journal, Study Inn, Evade Magazine, MSNL, Premium Cultivars.
The Releaf Editorial Team consists of professionals with diverse backgrounds and expertise, including healthcare professionals, experienced journalists, copywriters, and educators. Their qualifications, such as nursing diplomas, degrees in journalism, and proficiency in clinical research and medical writing, contribute to a wide range of skills. These include extensive knowledge in cannabis, the ability to translate complex scientific information into layman's terms, and a deep understanding of healthcare practices and regulations relevant to cannabis. Their collective experience in cannabis journalism, cultivation, and education enables them to produce informed, accurate, and accessible content.
Because we are passionate about making medical cannabis knowledge accessible, we break down some of the latest and greatest medical cannabis research reports and scientific investigations into bite-sized chunks.
Are you confused about medical cannabis? Are you struggling to find information about what medical cannabis is like? Is there a particular issue that is concerning you? Releaf can help answer some of your most frequently asked questions about how to access a legal medical cannabis prescription through a registered specialist doctor.
The same varieties of cannabis plants exist in both the legal medical market and the illicit street market; the differences are in how the plants are grown and the quality assurances the provider can give due to how cultivation, processing and packaging are overseen and regulated.
In this week’s Wellness Wednesday, Releaf takes a look into the annual vegan awareness month Veganuary to learn why people do it, the benefits and risks, how to replace your protein sources to ensure you get the complete selection and consider other important health aspects of the diet like adding in supplements.
No, GPs are currently unable to prescribe cannabis-based products for medicine in the UK. Only specialist doctors registered with the General Medical Council can legally prescribe, and only through a private clinic.
Medical cannabis was a highly politicised topic between 2015 and 2018 when the UK Home Office finally conceded that cannabis does have medicinal properties and could no longer maintain its prohibition. The evidence was undeniable, and the science was too clear to hide any longer.
You may have heard the phrase "irradiated medical cannabis" and wondered what on earth that means. Why would you need to irradiate cannabis? It sounds alarming to those unfamiliar with the practice but you may have heard about it in connection with pharmaceutical preparations or medical implants (and even our food), which often pass through a sterilisation process. It's perfectly normal, and we will get to grips with it in this article.
The new year is a perfect time to set new health habits and start the way you intend for it to go on. There's no need to reinvent yourself overnight, but introducing one or two new habits that are easy to stick to can make a significant impact over the year.
Medical cannabis is showing the world that it has the power to help people get their lives back after a period of illness or due to a lifelong diagnosis. When we look at why medical cannabis has such a profound effect on so many people, we start to find there might be other ways to take advantage of the natural health-governing endocannabinoid system.
Exploring the intersection of medical cannabis legality and UK policing, this blog delves into the challenges faced by patients due to varying police awareness, advocating for improved education and consistent enforcement to safeguard patients' rights and ensure lawful use of prescribed cannabis.
When you’re suffering from health issues, the first thing that should be considered is diet. Eating food doesn’t just stop us from feeling hungry, as I’m sure you are all aware. It was the founding father of modern medicine, Hypocrites, who said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” That quote is from around 2,400 years ago, but it still rings true today.
Releaf returns with another dose of myth-busting revelations. One of the big myths of the past was “cannabis will never be legal because they can’t patent a plant”. Well, here we are in 2023 with multiple patents for cannabis-based medicinal products and a burgeoning legal market. Let’s look at some more of the mistakes people make about medical cannabis, and hopefully, if you hear any of these in the future, you’ll feel prepared to debunk it with the evidence.
The Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland have updated their advice on the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for cannabidiol in a move that has alarmed the CBD industry. In February 2020, the FSA published advice on CBD consumption for the first time. This guidance explained that consumers should not exceed 70mg of CBD in a 24-hour period. However, this week has seen a dramatic reduction in that number, slashed to 10mg per day for healthy adults, highlighting potential long-term side effects.
Patients may have been made aware of recent reports that cannabis from the illicit market has been contaminated. These reports about “grit weed” have been shared across social media networks but the exact details of the adulterant are yet to be formally determined.
The wait is over, you finally have a legal medical cannabis prescription. For some, this will have been a long wait, for others who have only just become aware of the benefits of medical cannabis, it is the start of a new journey. At Releaf we want you to feel confident about being a legal medical cannabis patient which is why we want to take a moment to talk about cannabis stigma.
We've finally reached five years since medical cannabis was legalised in the UK. While there is much to celebrate about, there is much to reflect on and still more ground to gain. One thing that is lagging in the UK is greater awareness about medical cannabis legality and availability. Access is there for anyone who can afford it - but consumer understanding of access is limited. In early 2023, Releaf investigated the knowledge of the UK population with a survey about medical cannabis, where we discovered that only 34% of the population knew British citizens could get a medical cannabis prescription delivered through their letterbox via a private doctor. Advertising laws for medical cannabis companies are tightly controlled and fairly restrictive, leaving patient numbers in the UK far lower than in countries with similar policies, such as Germany and Australia.
This November marks the third year of celebrating Medical Cannabis Awareness Week - a whole week dedicated to highlighting the successes of the medical cannabis industry but also provides an opportunity to bring together all sectors for reflection and discussions. Drug Science, leaders of the T21 medical cannabis patient study are hosting The Patient Conference with The Medcan Family Foundation on November 3rd at Conway Hall in London. Tickets are available here.
The medical cannabis sector in private healthcare is new and occasionally the companies and professionals pioneering these innovative pathways come up against some roadblocks. When new medicines become legally available for the first time it is rare that they have a history of use or even a culture associated with it. New medicines are usually created in a lab but cannabis has a recorded history of use as a medicine and therapeutic dating back as far as 5000 BC in ancient China. British patients have been using cannabis products to self treat medical conditions for several hundred years with an increased acceptance of use climbing towards the turn of the last century.
Cannabis flowers do not follow the same dosage formula as conventional pills or inhaled medications. Instead of being prescribed THC in a set number of mg, patients are prescribed a weight of a specific percentage of THC-rich flower. This format raises the question - How much THC are you taking each time with different strains?
Hemp tea is made from the flowers or leaves of the hemp plant. Hemp is closely related to cannabis, but has a much lower THC content. THC is the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, but thanks to the extremely low THC levels in hemp, ingesting hemp products produces zero intoxicating effects.
For the NHS to be able to prescribe medical cannabis to patients, beyond the current limited options, more clinical evidence is needed to prove the efficacy of the products for the conditions they are being prescribed for.
Medical cannabis is an unlicensed medicine in the UK. This means that it has not undergone sufficient clinical trials to be granted a marketing authorisation by the government. For this reason, the NHS rarely prescribes cannabis. The National Institute of Clinical Excellence governs the medicines that the NHS prescribe, and it is their responsibility to improve medical care based on scientific evidence. NICE has deemed there to be a lack of appropriate evidence regarding medical cannabis due to the absence of traditional clinical trials.
Many are curious: will the UK move beyond its current medical cannabis laws and join the select few nations that have nationally legalized recreational cannabis? Let's delve into the factors at play and explore the current positions from across the political spectrum, as well as the viewpoints of influential individuals who hold the power to enact change.
While we have seen some enormous changes in the past five years regarding the legality of medical cannabis here in the UK, recreational cannabis remains strictly prohibited. The penalties for being caught with or supplying recreational cannabis can be severe, including fines and even potential jail time, or both. With more than a handful of countries now legalising the use of recreational cannabis, and many looking at the plant as a potential revenue stream, it begs the question – why is recreational cannabis still illegal in the UK?
"Since starting my treatment plan with Releaf, I’m genuinely shocked at how well it has worked."Chloe Durrington, Releaf patient
