Sajid Javid, the British Home Secretary, announced Thursday July 26 that medical cannabis will be authorized in the United Kingdom by prescription from the autumn. In France, the subject is debated.
The British Home Secretary announced on Thursday July 26 that therapeutic cannabis would be authorized in the United Kingdom by prescription from the autumn. “This will help patients with specific medical needs but it is by no means a first step towards legalizing recreational cannabis,” said Sajid Javid. in a press release.
Two groups of independent experts have looked into the issue. The first concluded that there was sufficient evidence that medical cannabis had therapeutic interests. The second felt that doctors should be able to prescribe medical cannabis.
“Improving the lives of suffering patients”
“Making therapeutic cannabis available on prescription will improve the lives of patients who are currently suffering in silence. There is nothing more difficult than seeing loved ones suffer, which is why I made this decision”, further justifies the British Home Secretary on Twitter. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will now clearly define what constitutes a drug derived from cannabis. Other forms of cannabis will be strictly controlled and will not be available on prescription.
In Europe, countries like Germany, Austria, Finland and Italy have already legalized medical cannabis. Recently, Minister of Health Agnès Buzyn said that medical cannabis could also arrive in France. Currently, only one cannabinoid drug has a marketing authorization in France: Sativex, recommended against spasticity and multiple sclerosis.
Dronabinol and cannabidiol, used for patients with neuropathic pain refractory to conventional treatments or epilepsy, are accessible, but only with a nominative temporary authorization (procedure making it possible to provide certain patients with a medicinal product without authorization on the market and not undergoing a clinical trial in this indication).
Calm nausea
In January 2017, the American Academy of Sciences made a report indicating that certain cannabinoids may calm nausea in patients undergoing chemotherapy, reduce chronic pain and decrease symptoms in people with multiple sclerosis. Cautious, she had also indicated an association between cannabis use and schizophrenia.
Since then, regarding the management of chronic non-cancer pain, a very recent study prospective published by The Lancet on the contrary, has just shown that cannabis is not effective. The recruitment of the cohort took place from August 13, 2012 to April 8, 2014. 1514 participants were questioned, among other things, on the origins and duration of chronic pain, cannabis use during life and 12 recent months, taking opioids and whether or not you have generalized depressive or anxiety disorder.
After four years of follow-up, 295 participants (24%) had used cannabis for pain relief. Compared to people who did not use cannabis, the researchers found that participants who had used cannabis had “a higher pain severity score.” “We found no evidence that cannabis use reduced the use of prescribed opioids or increased opioid cessation rates,” the scientists concluded.
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