Cannabis on the NHS: a missed opportunity?

Recently, it emerged that Billy Caldwell — the young boy who sparked a change in the law over medical cannabis — has received an NHS prescription for the cannabis oil to treat his severe epilepsy. However, two years after its legalisation, Billy is only one of a handful of patients who have received an NHS prescription for medical cannabis in the UK. This is despite many thousands of patients using cannabis for medical reasons around the world. In this podcast, we look at why so few patients are receiving NHS prescriptions and whether this may change anytime soon. We speak with Matt Hughes, the father of Charlie, who has been refused medical cannabis on the NHS; Mike Barnes, a neurologist who runs a number of private medical cannabis clinics and Janine Barnes, a specialist pharmacist who was a member of the NICE clinical guideline development group for medical cannabis. This episode was presented by Corrinne Burns and Nigel Praities. It was produced by Geoff Marsh. For more information: https://www.pharmaceutical-journal.com/news-and-analysis/special-reports/special-report-medical-cannabis