Cannabis boom... new cash appeal to NHS as thousands forced to fork out for private ‘cures’

SCOTLAND is seeing a boom in medical cannabis after more than 1,500 patients signed up to a radical new scheme that sees the drug delivered directly to their homes.

Although recreational cannabis remains illegal, Scotland’s first clinic to supply the drug for medicinal purposes – completely legally – opened a year ago.

Doctors behind the pioneering project have revealed that demand is growing each month. That has led to renewed calls for cannabis to be made available on the NHS.

So far the clinic has dispensed the Class B drug to patients suffering from a range of conditions including chronic pain, rare forms of epilepsy, migraines, anxiety and depression.

Although cannabis has been approved by the Government for medical treatment, it is not available on the NHS, meaning patients must pay up to £1,300 a month for a prescription.

Sapphire Medical, which opened in Stirling in March last year, is the only clinic in Scotland offering the drug.

Managing director Dr Mikael Sodergren said: ‘From when we opened last March we’ve had about 3,000 referrals and we have around 1,500 active patients for treatment.

‘Of course, there’s a proportion who are referred and proceed to medical cannabis and it doesn’t work for them.

‘Some drop out because it doesn’t work or there are side effects. For others there is a cost implication.

‘What we’re hoping to do is use this data to complement dossiers developed by manufacturers so they can get market authorisation and then it can be available for free on the NHS.’

In its first three days of opening, more than 600 people requested an appointment at Sapphire Medical

Clinic, which has the approval of regulatory body Healthcare Improvement Scotland to treat

‘Children’s stories are the most heartbreaking’

dozens of conditions, including migraines, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.

Patients can be referred by their GP or self-refer via the website.

Following a video appointment and approval, prescriptions of herbal cannabis and cannabis oil, which were illegal until a change in the law two years ago, are sent to patients’ homes.

Most people are issued with a tincture of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) – the principal psychoactive ingredient of cannabis – and CBD (cannabidiol) to be placed under the tongue two or three times a day. Others get herbal cannabis, which can be smoked or vaped for immediate results.

Unlike illegal marijuana, dosages are not intended to get patients ‘high’, but to reduce pain, inflammation and spasms and to help people feel calm.

Patients are from a wide age range, including nine-year-old Cole Thomson, who has a rare form of epilepsy and relies on Bedrolite cannabis oil, which costs £1,300 each month.

Dr Sodergren said: ‘The particular issue with a child with epilepsy, they are the people we want to help most – theirs are the most heartbreaking stories.

‘Unfortunately, they are the patients whose treatments cost the most because they require high doses of CBD – much higher than other conditions that we treat.’

Dr Sodergren said the average patient is a 50-year-old female with chronic pain caused by a long-term condition. For that patient the cost of a package, including a medical consultation and treatment, is about £4.75 a day.

The clinic has launched the Sapphire Access Scheme which has reduced appointment costs to £50 per visit.

It is also promoting the benefits of its treatment to other healthcare professionals through the Sapphire Institute for Medical Cannabis Education. The Scottish Government said it supports the development of clinical trials to help gather medical evidence for cannabis.

A spokesman said: ‘The regulation, licensing and supply of medicines remains reserved to the UK Government – this includes the scheduling of Cannabis Based Products for Medicinal Use (CBPMs) – and the Scottish Government has no power to alter this.

Although specialist doctors have been allowed to prescribe CBPMs on the NHS since 2018, most have concerns around their safety and efficacy and the lack of robust evidence on their use, particularly long-term side effects.

‘It is only by building this evidence base that specialist doctors will gain the confidence to support the prescribing of unlicensed CBPMs.’