Doctors in the United Kingdom have been able to legally recommend medical cannabis for some patients since 2018.
The UK is one of dozens of countries around the globe that allow medical cannabis to be legally recommended to suffering patients in one form or another.
Some countries have better medical cannabis laws than others, and some countries have better medical cannabis industries operating legally than others.
The spectrum ranges from limited CBD options all the way up to licensed cannabis dispensaries, delivery services, and home cultivation.
Unfortunately for suffering patients in the United Kingdom, the UK has a very limited medical cannabis law and operationally its medical cannabis program does not help anywhere near enough patients.
A Monopoly on Cultivation
While recommending cannabis to patients is a relatively new thing in the United Kingdom, medical cannabis itself is not.
Since 1998 GW Pharmaceuticals has had the monopoly on legal cannabis production in the UK.
GW was the first company to develop prescription medicine derived from the cannabis plant (Sativex).
The company also makes a product called Epidiolex.
While those medications help some patients, they don’t help all patients.
Medicine should never be monopolized in any country, and with that in mind, it’s good news for suffering patients in the United Kingdom with the announcement of a second license being granted.
More Cultivation on the Way
According to various media reports, a company called Northern Leaf became the second company to be awarded a cannabis cultivation license in the history of the United Kingdom.
The company is planning on creating a massive 75,000 square foot greenhouse with plans to export cannabis to other countries, including Denmark, Germany, Spain, and Portugal.
While this is good news for suffering patients, the United Kingdom still has a long way to go when it comes to safe access to medical cannabis.
Until every suffering patient throughout the United Kingdom can use all forms of medical cannabis that help treat their condition, there will always be more work to do.
