‘Medicinal cannabis should be an option’
MORE should be done to provide easier access to medicinal cannabis, according to Marc Leadbeater.
During the debate on funding additional drugs for local patients in the States yesterday, Deputy Leadbeater said that while this route was available for a few conditions, patients needed to demonstrate that they had exhausted all other available drugs first.
‘Why? There is no logical reason for having to try often addictive drugs with horrendous side-effects before you can be allowed to use a natural plant remedy that humans have used for medical purposes for thousands of years.
‘Islanders should have the choice when it comes to their own care pathway. Patients that believe that their condition could be eased by the use of medicinal cannabis should have the option to try it right from the start,’ he said.
This route would be at a lot lower cost than that of many prescription drugs, and he asked if HSC could look further into this.
In answer to a challenge from Deputy Dawn Tindall that he should have declared an interest, Deputy Leadbeater said he was not involved with medicinal cannabis, but with a CBD oil company and he was happy to confirm this.
