Medicinal Cannabis has been legal for over a month now but doctors are still hesitant to prescribe it.

It’s been over a full month since the U.K Parliament legislated on November 1st for the use of medical cannabis on prescription, however doctors are still hesitant to prescribe the drug and patients in need of it must face a long and difficult process just to obtain it.  

From the new legislation, specialist doctors are now able to prescribe medicinal cannabis for those who wish to use CBD oil for medical purposes. CBD or Cannabidiol is one of the two main compounds that make up the cannabis plant, with its properties hailed as one of the great steps in the fight against epilepsy, nausea from cancer treatment and multiple sclerosis.

12 year old Billy Caldwell who suffered from epilepsy was the first person in the UK to be treated with medicinal cannabis following a long high profile case between his family and the UK government, prompting the government to change their policy on the drug. 

There are over 500,000 sufferers of epilepsy in the UK with 1000 dying every year from intense seizures. The use of CBD can significantly reduce this figure by 50%, CBD oil producer Endoca has stated. There are different ways in which cannabis oil can be consumed, one of the more popular methods of consumption is using the oil in a vapouriser, another method is using the oil as a food suppliment in the form of drops either taken driectly or used in some form of edible product.

Endoca makes products from certified organic cannabis plants, grown and cultivated without herbicides or pesticides. They have their own seed bank and breeding program and their harvesters run on waste oil from the food industry. Their production methods are also clean as they use CO2 from the air and do not require the use of chemicals or solvents.
 

So why are doctors still hesitant to prescribe it ?

Under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, cannabis is still classified as a Class B drug, which means both consumption and possession are still punishable by law. However these are usually products made with higher elements of THC, the drug’s second compound that gives the sense of calming or highness which the government argues alternates a person’s mindset in the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016.

Currently only CBD products with less than 0.2% THC are legal to use in the UK.

Those who want to obtain CBD oil for medicinal purposes will have to apply for a license under a temporary approval panel and will have to prove to an exceptional clinical circumstance for why they need the treatment.

Henry Vincenty CEO of organic oil producer Endoca states “Whilst the change in legislation is something to celebrate, education about CBD products and the plant are still severely lacking. Currently there are still children and families suffering needlessly due to the denial of access.”

Over 250,000 people currently use the treatment method, which is more than double the size of its users last year. With limited accessibility to the product, consumers are now turning to the high street to obtain the product. Henry Vincenty has said these are 5 things you should look out for to make sure you are purchasing a top quality product.

1. Does the company have publicly accessible, easy to understand lab reports?
2. Are the products organic and whole plant?
3. Is the CBD amount of the product clearly labelled and verifiable?
4. Are there clear quality standards in place? 
5. Is their website content clear and informative and do they have many online reviews?

This will allow the consumer to check how organic the product making it less likely to cosume harmful prodcuts through the CBD oil.
Check out Endoca website here for more information on the cosumption of cannabis oil:
https://www.endoca.com/