Patients in the West Midlands are urging the government to make medical cannabis more widely accessible, as it remains difficult to obtain through the NHS despite being legal since 2018. Most prescriptions are available only through private clinics. Barbara Northall, a fibromyalgia patient, has found relief with medical cannabis, reducing her need for opioids and improving her mobility. However, she cannot get it through her NHS doctor and has to rely on private treatment.
The Department for Health and Social Care stated that only licensed medicines with proven quality, safety, and effectiveness are funded by the NHS. GPs can only prescribe medical cannabis under specialist guidance, and most products remain unlicensed due to insufficient evidence, as noted by experts like Dr. Will Lawn from King’s College London.
With an estimated 20,000 adults privately prescribed medical cannabis, businesses like Smokey Joe’s in Kidderminster have emerged, offering safe spaces for legal consumption. Despite its legality, the stigma remains, highlighted by a police raid on Smokey Joe’s, with the store’s owner arrested, though he maintains it operates within the law.