Countless patients who were promised the world when the changes came in have found themselves let-down, ignored and even persecuted because of their efforts to access a safe medicine for them and their children. To make matters worse, the explanations given by the authorities are barely logical let alone reasonable. “
It appears that the major hurdle people are facing comes from the fact that a majority of doctors are unwilling to offer prescriptions from Bedrocann as they don’t fully understand the health benefits or they’re concerned that something which they have constantly been told is a dangerous drug is now legally allowed to be offered to fitting patients. It must be a difficult pill to swallow, but I question how much effort is actually being put into extending the knowledge base of such dedicated practitioners in order to allow them to feel more confident in making this type of decision.
As discussed last issue, there is a wealth of research available from across the world yet it is largely ignored as it hasn’t been conducted within the UK.Reports indicate that the only successful method of gaining a prescription is to go private and pay for the privilege, however this completely defeats the purpose of the political promises to help people via the NHS. Could this be because of the cost implications or is there something going on behind the scenes with certain well-connected millionaires rubbing their greedy little hands together while they find new ways to make a profit? When you consider that many people have had to deal with either the black market or kind-hearted lawbreakers from cannabis clubs prior to the government’s decision, it seems completely backwards that the same people who managed to get them to change their mind now find themselves in an even more complicated situation.
Poorer families who rely on the NHS (which we all pay our National Insurance contributions to provide) will find it financially crippling to follow the current path with cost estimates with a private clinic coming in at an unbelievably extortionate £900 per month for a single ounce of flower (roughly quadruple the street price).With this in mind, I find myself contemplating my own situation and I have come to a decision.
As I have previously written about, I have been self-medicating for mental health issues and treatment for long-term-undiagnosed PTSD while my wife suffers from Relapse-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis. Because of the criminal implications associated with cultivation, we are unable (and unwilling) to pursue this path and instead we have to rely on shady deals from low-end dealers and occasionally we are able to source a higher quality of material from a few close associates.
This allows us to treat her ongoing symptoms and reduce the chances of a relapse (which have been much less frequent since she started to use cannabis) whilst also allowing me to escape from the grips of depression and cope with my day-to-day issues more effectively. As a result of this, I have decided to explore the avenues available to us in the hope of finding out the truth of the situation first-hand.
My plan is to approach my own GP for an informal conversation about the potential for prescription and also to consult with my wife’s primary neurologist to investigate his opinion on the matter. Having previously been prescribed a number of pharmaceutical medications (which she has weaned herself of off and replaced with cannabis), it is my hope that there will be the potential for her to qualify for a prescription.
If these avenues fail, which will hopefully not be the case as I have plenty of case studies and back issues to support our cause, then I will look into the privatised route to see if it is more lenient (which shouldn’t be the case in a fair and equal world) and to clarify the cost implications. Along the way I intend to speak with government officials, campaigners for cannabis and other people who have been directly affected by this situation so that we can get a clearer picture of the reality of medical cannabis in the UK. I expect this to be more complicated than it should be, but my hope is that my findings can be used to inform others to the best way forward.
In an ideal world, which I know is pretty far from reality, I would like to receive official documentation that allows me to access cannabis legally on the NHS but also one that allows me to explore other channels such as working with cannabis clubs and independent growers to obtain and maintain my supply of flower. Should this be possible, it would allow me to avoid extremely over-priced products which would save the NHS money and potentially pave the way for others to do the same.
I’m under no illusion that this is probably a bit of a push, yet I can’t help but think that I have nothing to lose (other than my sanity and patience). For now, though, my main goal is to reach a point where I can gain access without living in fear of reprisal and punishment. Once we hit that milestone we can start to build a case for the next stage…one step at a time though (I don’t want to try running before I can even walk).
The time has come to shift things up a gear and I can’t spend any longer feeling like a criminal because of how I choose to maintain a balance in my life. Over the next few issues I will be documenting the steps I have taken and will endeavour to keep you updated with my progress. Wish me luck – I’m going to need every single bit of help I can get.In light of the changes in policy in the UK with regards to the prescription of medicinal flowers, I have been keeping a close eye on the news and I’ve unfortunately found myself saddened by the stories I keep on seeing.
Countless patients who were promised the world when the changes came in have found themselves let-down, ignored and even persecuted because of their efforts to access a safe medicine for them and their children. To make matters worse, the explanations given by the authorities are barely logical let alone reasonable.
“In an ideal world, which I know is pretty far from reality, I would like to receive official documentation that allows me to access cannabis legally on the NHS but also one that allows me to explore other channels such as working with cannabis clubs and independent growers to obtain and maintain my supply of flower.”
Written and Published By PSY-23 In Weed World Magazine Issue 142
Source: https://damweed.com/hemp/the-patients-patience-words-by-psy-23/
