Medicinal cannabis oil sales soaring
PEOPLE with a host of debilitating health problems are turning to legal medicinal cannabis oil in their droves to ease their suffering, it is claimed.
According to figures from the Cannabis Trades Association UK, the number of cannabidiol (CBD) users has doubled from 125,000 12 months ago to 250,000.
Demand for the supplement has surged even faster after health food chain Holland & Barrett became the first high street store to stock it a month ago.
CBD oil is legal in the UK as it has less than 0.2% of the psychoactive compound tetrahydrocannabinol – and therefore does not produce a “high”.
It is not addictive and is used to ease the symptoms of multiple sclerosis, joint pain, anxiety and depression, as well as a range of other conditions.
Holland & Barrett said: “We have been surprised at the success and popularity of CBD oil since its launch.
“We are constantly looking to bring new and innovative products to market that help our customers. It is great to see in this instance that we can help with the demand.”
The firm behind Jacob Hooy CBD+ Oil, which is now on sale at health food shop Holland & Barrett and the use of which involves placing two or three drops of the oil onto the buyer’s tongue each day, is bringing out four new cannabis oil products next month due its growing popularity.
MediPen, a research facility based in Pontprennau, Cardiff, is currently running a “strenuous” course of clinical trials into the medicinal benefits of cannabis.
Managing director Jordan Owen claims the growth in sales of cannabis oil is just the start of breaking down the stigma surrounding the use of cannabinoid-based products.
He said: “As the UK’s leading consumer cannabinoid biotechnology company, we’ve been on a mission over the last three years to break down the negative connotations surrounding cannabis and raise awareness surrounding the positive attributes of the plant.
“We feel this has been achieved with considerable success as we’ve created an industry in which legal non-psychoactive cannabinoid-based products have flourished and will continue to grow exponentially.”
Last month Wales’ Assembly Members voted to lobby the UK Government to legalise cannabis for medicinal use. They say the clinical and anecdotal evidence of its benefits for patients is “compelling” and want the NHS in Wales to be able to make it available via a prescription.