Medical Cannabis
Explore UK-focused medical cannabis articles, including legal updates, patient experiences, treatment options, and the latest research within the British cannabis landscape.
How the UK healthcare industry is investigating medical cannabis
This article will take a deep dive into the global evidence base for the medicinal use of cannabis, with a specific focus on clinical trials and emerging areas of research in the UK. We’ll explore how the findings can inform modern healthcare and potentially make a real difference to millions of patients in the UK.
What is prescribed cannabis oil?
In today's article, we are going to put a spotlight on all the medical cannabis oil options that are now legally prescribable here in the UK and take a close look at how they may be able to aid patients in managing symptoms relating to a huge range of health conditions.
Rare conditions medical cannabis may be prescribed for in the UK
With Rare Disease Day upon us, let's take this opportunity to have a look at how certain rare health conditions may benefit from medical cannabis and how medical cannabis has already been prescribed in the UK to treat some rare conditions.
How do lifestyle changes influence your medical cannabis dose?
Finding the perfect dosage size for medical cannabis can be tricky. Unlike some traditional medication options, there really is no one-size-fits-all approach.
Eating disorders and medical cannabis
As February draws to a close each year in the UK, Eating Disorder Awareness Week is held to shine a light on the prevalence of eating disorders, and raise awareness for the struggles they cause. As a UK based medical cannabis clinic, we felt it was important to honour this important topic, and discuss the emerging potential of medical cannabis in the treatment of various eating disorders.
International Epilepsy Day: epilepsy's influence on medical cannabis in the UK
With International Epilepsy Day just passing us by (on the 12th of February), we decided to take a look back at how medical cannabis treatment has added to epilepsy treatment options, the role epilepsy played in essentially forcing medical cannabis to become a legal reality here in the UK, and a look forward to what the future may hold for medical cannabis and epilepsy treatment in the UK.
Sinking our teeth into medical cannabis and dentistry
To celebrate National toothache day, we thought it would be appropriate to sink our teeth into the topic of dentistry in the landscape of medical cannabis, and discuss how cannabis use can affect and impact oral health.
Medical cannabis in the UK: A survey of Healthcare Professional’s perspectives
Grow Pharma, a UK-based medical cannabis company, recently released the findings of their latest survey, targeted at discovering how healthcare professionals feel about cannabis-based medicines, and what experiences they have had with them since their legalisation in 2018.
Talking about medical cannabis as a parent
The 27th of January, wasn’t just any Saturday, it was also Parent Mental Health Day. Parent Mental Health Day is a national day of awareness dedicated to educating the public about the importance of maintaining good mental health and taking care of your own wellbeing, whilst being a parent or caregiver. This year’s theme is ‘creating positive relationships’, and so, we thought it would be fitting to explore how to approach the subject of medical cannabis with your children.
What is the entourage effect?
The entourage effect is a well-known theory in medical cannabis and CBD landscapes. This theory suggests that when cannabis compounds are consumed together, they compliment each other's individual characteristics, and work together synergistically to have the most enhanced effect, or beneficial result, on the body.
International Day of Education: Medical cannabis
As well as being World Dementia Day, this Wednesday is the International Day of Education. Held every year on the 24th of January, International Day of Education was implemented by the United Nations back in December 2018, just one month after the UK legalised medical cannabis.
Can I get medical cannabis from my GP?
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.
MPs' reflect on 5 years of medical cannabis prescriptions
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.
Irradiated medical cannabis: Everything you need to know
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.
What are medical cannabinoids?
If you’re new to the world of medical cannabis, the wide range of content and information that centres around cannabinoids, and their concentrations within your medicine, can make it feel like you’re trying to decipher another language.
A marriage of inconvenience: UK Health Secretary excluded from medical cannabis matters
In the heart of UK healthcare policy, Victoria Atkins' appointment as Health Secretary stirs controversy due to her explicit recusal from cannabis-related decisions, spotlighting the intricate dance of politics, personal interest, and the quest for equitable medical cannabis access.
Nutrition and neuroscience: Foods that feed your endocannabinoid system
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.
Life Insurance and medical cannabis: What you need to know
Considering the increasing prevalence of medical cannabis use and cannabis-based treatments, it is unsurprising that many patients are now starting to wonder whether their use of this medication could influence life insurance policies.
Patients respond to national press over medical cannabis policing
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.
The CIC takes the wheel: Medical cannabis driving guidance
The Cannabis Industry Council (CIC) has released guidance for medical cannabis patients to ensure that they act safely, and are treated appropriately, when behind the wheel. Distributed for free in physical leaflet format to attendees at The Patient Conference, which took place earlier this month during Medical Cannabis Awareness Week, this document states the rules and regulations that relate to medical cannabis patients and driving.
What does cannabis smell like, and what causes its aroma?
The question ‘what does cannabis smell like?’ is extremely complex to answer. This is because cannabis is a broad, colloquial term, that covers an entire family of different cannabis plants that all slightly vary from one another - including their scent.
Behind the leaf: 5 (more) medical cannabis myths debunked
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.
FSA slashes daily CBD intake guidance: UK industry reacts
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.
The Patient Conference: ‘To Thine Own Self Be True’.
During Medical Cannabis Awareness Week, the annual Patient Conference took place on the 3rd of November at Conway Hall. We were proud to not only be in attendance, but one of the official sponsors of the event.