Patient Access.
How can we reduce medicinal cannabis stigma?
Public education.
Greater awareness of medicinal cannabis is required in the Island across the board to reduce stigma and remove prejudice.
Confusion over medicinal cannabis can result in complications with the Police and problems with family, neighbours, landlords, employers, service providers and others.
Recommendation:
- The Health Department should seek to raise awareness of medicinal cannabis in Jersey to ensure that there is sufficient understanding amongst the wider community.
Healthcare acceptance.
The use of medicinal cannabis is not yet widely recognised in healthcare settings, which based upon patient testimonies appears to be due to outdated attitudes and a general lack of understanding of this medicine and its action upon the body's Endogenous Cannabinoid System.
Patients admitted to the General Hospital can be denied access to their prescribed medicinal cannabis, regardless of whether that be in the form of oil or flower.
Ailments for which a patient uses medicinal cannabis may then increase in severity without provision of substitute medication. There are also concerns that the lack of recognition of medicinal cannabis therapies may lead to contraindications going unnoticed.
Recommendation:
- Existing medicinal cannabis use should be accommodated into the treatment regimen of patients in healthcare settings, where appropriate.
Compassionate policing.
The introduction of medicinal cannabis has convoluted the policing of cannabis in the Island:
"The Panel noted that the balance between punitive and simple harm reduction in respect of medicinal cannabis is not clear."
CEHA Scrutiny Panel,
Quarterly Hearing with the Minister for Home Affairs,
February 2022.
Patients have been subjected to searches and questioning by Police to determine the legitimacy of their prescribed cannabis, which often involves contacting the clinic/consultant concerned to verify legitimate possession - despite the presentation of a prescription.
This confusion has resulted in the recent suggestion of specific licences to identify medicinal cannabis patients, which is simply unnecessary given that a prescription itself fulfils this requirement.
Recommendation:
- Government should work with the Jersey Police Authority to develop appropriate procedures for interacting with medicinal cannabis patients in order that their use of this medicine is no longer perceived to be criminal behaviour.