A NEW national survey of 4,000 people has highlighted the need to improve awareness of cannabis as a medicine.
Key findings include:
- ● 84% of British people are unaware cannabis ‘flower’ is available on prescription.
- ● 60% would consider cannabis as an alternative to traditional medicine.
- ● 70% thought there was a problem with education on medical cannabis.
- ● 81% still feel there is a negative stigma around cannabis.
Despite the Government’s landmark 2018 decision to allow prescriptions for cannabis in Britain via the NHS or private clinics, most British people remain unaware that cannabis medicines are available, a new national survey has found.
A new survey, conducted by pioneering new medical cannabis clinic Mamedica, has found that 84% of people in Britain are unaware that cannabis ‘flower’ is available on prescription. More than half (56%) are not aware that any cannabis medicine is available on prescription at all, and 92% say they are unaware medical cannabis is available for next-day delivery in the UK.
Most British people are now open to using medical cannabis, the survey found, with 60% saying that they would consider it as an alternative to traditional medicine, and 59%, saying they would consider it if recommended by a medical professional. Mamedica surveyed 4,000 representative individuals across the UK.
The survey found that significant communication issues around medical cannabis remain. Four-fifths (81%) of those surveyed said that there is still a negative stigma around cannabis in the UK, and 72% said that they felt there is a problem with education around the facts of cannabis and in particular medical cannabis in Britain.
Since November 2018, it has been legal to prescribe cannabis in Britain, with more than 16,000 patients now receiving prescriptions for conditions including chronic pain and anxiety, and consuming cannabis in the form of both ‘flower’ and oils.
Mamedica is pioneering medical cannabis in the UK, and hopes to educate the public on its availability, and its benefits. Mamedica helps patients to obtain life-improving medicines via a safe, regulated pathway.
Jon Robson, founder of Mamedica, says, ‘Britain is clearly at a turning point when it comes to medical cannabis. While the law has changed, it’s clear that there’s been a failure of communication.
‘There are believed to be millions of people in this country who could benefit from medical cannabis – and so far, many of them remain unaware that there is a safe, legal way to benefit from a plant that has been used for thousands of years to treat a wide range of chronic conditions.
‘It’s encouraging to see that so many people in Britain are now open to using medical cannabis – what’s now needed is education that this medicine is legally available in Britain, and improves the lives of patients suffering from long-term conditions such as chronic pain and anxiety.’
Consultant neurologist and medical cannabis expert, Professor Mike Barnes, who has been at the forefront of medical cannabis in the UK for over 20 years, says, ‘This is a fascinating survey. There is certainly good news and bad news.
‘The good news is that about 60% of the survey would consider using cannabis for an ailment and a similar number would consider using cannabis as an alternative to traditional medicine. The bad news is that only 57% knew that cannabis was now available on prescription and over 70% thought there was a problem with education on medical cannabis.
‘Much has been done over the last three years but much still to do!’
Other key findings of the survey
- ● 74% of people think there is not enough education on alternative therapies such as cannabis in the UK.
- ● 66% of people think that the introduction of medical cannabis will not have a negative impact on society.
- ● 56% of people support the full legalisation of cannabis in the UK, with just 18% against and 25% saying ‘Maybe’.
- ● 87% of people are aware that cannabis has been used for thousands of years to treat conditions such as pain, anxiety and depression.
- ● 38% of people have considered using cannabis for medical reasons.
Mamedica is a private clinic with linked pharmacy which specialises in cannabis based prescriptions (from oil to cannabis flower), for patients who have not found satisfactory results for their conditions with their existing medications across pain, psychiatry, neurology, palliative care and cancer.
Following a secure, private video consultation, if the consultant and the patient agree medical cannabis would be beneficial and safe, the medicines can be delivered directly to the patient’s door via next-day delivery service.
All of the medicines prescribed by Mamedica are produced and manufactured according to the pharmaceutical-grade EU-GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice), the most stringent in the world. Patients can rest easy that their medicines are not contaminated with pesticides or other adulterants.
Founded by Jon Robson, and launched in 2022, Mamedica aims to deliver a quality of service which is currently lacking in the medical cannabis sector. Mamedica puts patient safety, security and satisfaction at the forefront of every activity, using only the most high-calibre consultants and support staff as part of their team.
