Patient Access.
What's preventing GPs from prescribing medicinal cannabis?
Who can prescribe medicinal cannabis?
Despite the change in Jersey law in 2018 to allow "all medical professionals with the right to prescribe... be permitted to prescribe [cannabis]"
, access is currently limited to private specialist cannabis clinics.
In contrast to the UK where prescribing is restricted to doctors on the General Medical Council specialist register, prescribers at cannabis clinics in Jersey are regular GPs and specialist consultants who have received training in cannabis medicine.
How can we encourage GPs to prescribe?
Following the introduction of the legislation in January 2019, the Primary Care Body asked the Island's GPs to not prescribe medicinal cannabis:
"In terms of guidance regarding prescription, at the moment, GPs have been asked not to prescribe the drugs. Our indemnity for the medical profession is set much higher than the UK... actually we would be highly at risk if anything untoward occurred and there was a negligence claim of some sort. There are lots of reasons at the moment why we would not necessarily be able to prescribe cannabis or cannabis-based products."
Dr Nigel Minihane, Primary Care Body Chair,
GPs told not to prescribe cannabis, 1st March 2019.
Recommendation:
- The Health Department should engage with the Primary Care Body to address the issues preventing GPs from prescribing medicinal cannabis.