Cannabis-based products for medicinal use: Guidance to clinicians
13 November 2018. Related: Side effects, Other news.
Simon Collins, HIV i-Base
Following the Government’s announcement to reschedule certain cannabis-based products for medicinal use, NHS England has provided guidance to clinicians following the re-scheduling. [1]
The document – published on 31 October 2018 – sets out expectations of what this regulatory change will mean in practice for clinicians working in the NHS and in private practice in England.
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This slight loosening of restrictions to cannabis-based products for medical use doesn’t change legality of cannabis itself.
The document notes that dronabinol – an appetite stimulant that was available in the US decades ago and used fro HIV-related wasting – is still not available in the UK.
On the same day, the Mexican Supreme Court ruled that the prohibition of cannabis was unconstitutional – as it violated the ‘fundamental right to the free development of the personality’.
This has effectively lagalised cannabis for personal use, possession, private cultivation, and sharing of cannabis amongst adults. [2]
NICE guidelines on cannabis-based compounds have also just been published in draft form online: deadline for comments is Tuesday 4 December 2018. [3]
References
- NHS. Guidance to clinicians: Cannabis-based products for medicinal use (31 October 2018).
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/cannabis-based-products-for-medicinal-use-guidance-to-clinicians - Transform. Press release. Mexican Supreme Court Ruling Means Recreational Cannabis is Now Legal for Adults. (01 November 2018).
https://www.tdpf.org.uk/blog/press-release-mexican-supreme-court-ruling-means-recreational-cannabis-now-legal-adults - NICE. Cannabis-based products for medicinal use. Draft for comments.
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ng10124/consultation/html-content