Few people know that the legal mechanisms by which doctors in the UK can prescribe cannabis for medicinal purposes are already law. There’s no legal reason to prevent a GP from prescribing cannabis to a patient anywhere in the UK, and yet it’s virtually a non-existent practice. To get to the root causes of this, we want to dive deep into how cannabis is viewed, why it’s viewed and how it might change in the future.
Do doctors believe the evidence for medicinal cannabis?
In short, yes. The vast majority of medical professionals would not dispute the findings of thousands of studies that show the benefits of cannabis. There is however a disconnect between this growing widespread acceptance and the outward actions of the doctors.
When, for example, have you ever heard of someone going to a GP appointment for workplace stress being told they should take some of our Northern Irish CBD products? Or how about hearing someone talking about the stress of constant social anxiety being offered the chance to safely purchase cannabis online by their GP? It just doesn’t ever happen, even though those of us who know that medical cannabis has been legalised wish it was common practice.
The main reason for the reluctance here is that although medical use is allowed, cannabis legalisation does not extend to recreational use, and it’s the recreational use that worries medical professionals. For decades cannabis has been seen as a gateway drug that shifts lifestyle choices and perceptions, but this is not an accurate reflection of medicinal cannabis.
Are doctors fully aware of the true nature of cannabis?
Some are, some aren’t, but on the whole we feel that there needs to be more work done to change the image of cannabis. Rather than seeing it as a form of chemical escapism that changes the way the mind works and can lead to paranoia, we see it as a naturally occurring substance that, when taken correctly, has life-changing benefits to offer.
Something as simple as removing the psychoactive THC and leaving you with CBD, like our range of UK-tested products, really does make the world of difference. You can instantly eliminate the ‘gateway’ nature of cannabis that is driven primarily by the feeling of getting high, while retaining all of the health and wellness benefits.
The reason we’re highlighting this is not to lobby GPs to prescribe our products — we fully understand that the NHS is not there yet — but to start changing perceptions. The beauty of CBD and high-grade medicinal cannabis is that it gives medical professionals another tool in their toolkit with which they can do good, help others and ultimately change lives. Exactly what they want to hear when it’s all about making a difference in a way that only a medical intervention can.
Why are perceptions about cannabis slow to shift?
The image of a ‘stoner’ who smokes high-strength cannabis all day and gets very little done with the rest of their life may be a stereotype, but it’s a stereotype that every doctor is aware of. The problem here is that this type of one-dimensional thinking sticks, especially when you consider the workload of the typical GP right now in the UK.
COVID-19 caused a massive backlog of work, a rise in mental health issues and the worsening of many chronic conditions due to reduced allocation of resources. While this was not the fault of the individual GPs who simply do the best they can, they’re the ones who are ultimately on the frontline, dealing with the fallout on a daily basis.
If you want to be able to understand why this is an issue, think about how little ongoing training days GPs get each year. Even something as essential to health and wellness as nutrition is taught in less than a couple of short sessions during a 7-year medical degree. Why are we highlighting this? The workload is just so intense that doctors rarely, if ever, have the time and energy to look into new modalities and forms of treatment. You cannot simply expect them to one day give you some of our CBD products from Londonderry without a massive push from all sides to make this happen.
Should you self-medicate by buying cannabis online?
Just because a cannabis prescription UK doctors are prepared to grant on a regular basis seems to be a long way off now, don’t start self medicating without doing the correct checks. Buy from a trusted source.
Our Londonderry CBD products put you ahead of the curve for one simple reason: they’re the highest quality you can get anywhere on the market. They’re produced ethically and fairly, ensuring every artisan grower and producer is paid a living wage in exchange for their time and effort. And to ensure nothing is left to chance, we go one step further by personally testing every single product that leaves our shelves. In fact, the testing is fully independent of us, giving you the peace of mind that comes from knowing everything is in order. We’ve even made it so you can look up the individual test results for the exact package you hold in your hand!
When will cannabis prescriptions in the UK become the norm?
Honestly, we’re not sure but we can’t see this changing anytime soon. The issue with prescribing cannabis has many components, only one of which is the medical side of things. There’s also the issue of optics, with no politician likely to want to be associated with the inevitable initial backlash that would come from parts of the media prone to sensationalism. Then there’s the issue of business and logistics: who would get the massive NHS supply contracts needed to make such a shift in policy workable in the first place?
What we suggest instead is that you play your part to raise the issue while at the same time taking the safest approach to self medication: our diverse range of premium quality CBD products. It’s the only fully legal, expertly tested and completely transparent way to connect with the natural goodness of the cannabis plant quickly and easily. It’s also completely safe, free from THC and never causes addiction.
By being as open and transparent as we can possibly be when it comes to what’s in our Londonderry CBD products, we hope to change the way the whole country sees cannabis as a medicinal tool.
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