Curaleaf Pharmacy Supports Medical Cannabis Awareness Week
The very first Medical Cannabis Awareness Week 2020, hosted by PLEA, has brought thought leaders, patients and doctors together to share their knowledge and expertise of medical cannabis and how it is changing people’s lives.
Here at Curaleaf Pharmacy, we want to show our support to this campaign by sharing everything we are doing to improve access for patients across the UK.
Medical Cannabis was made available for prescription in November 2018, serving as a lifeline for patients who have been in desperate need of this treatment for years. However instead of being made available as NHS prescribed medication, patients were told that medical cannabis was only available on private prescription and can only be prescribed by a clinician listed on the Specialist Register of the General Medical Council.
Fast forward to Medical Cannabis Awareness Week 2020, marking the two-year anniversary of this milestone. What has changed?
In terms of access for patients, not a lot.
Medical Cannabis is still prescribed privately, barring a handful of prescriptions issued by the NHS. Medical Cannabis clinics across the UK serve to provide access to patients in need, however many struggle to afford this due to the inflation of imports caused by regulatory restrictions. Many patients also struggle with the fear and stigma of this medication, preventing them from pursuing this potentially life-changing treatment even further.
Curaleaf Pharmacy is Changing the Landscape
At Curaleaf Pharmacy, our mission is to make medical cannabis accessible and affordable.
We provide patients with ground-breaking access to a complete range of full spectrum medical cannabis oils, manufactured on-site in the UK, that delivers an affordable price and ensures continuous treatment. We achieve this by manufacturing from our UK state-of-the-art MHRA approved laboratory and dispensed from our GPhC registered online pharmacy, for secure direct delivery anywhere in the country.
As part of EMMAC Life Sciences group, we control our entire supply chain from cultivation, extraction and manufacture to ensure the highest level of product quality and service standards. We manufacture our range of full spectrum medical cannabis bespoke to the exact requirements of the patient, maintaining consistency of CBD and THC strains throughout treatment.
Paul Dunn, Superintendant Pharmacist and Head of Quality for Curaleaf Pharmacy: “Access to medical cannabis remains a complex process that unfortunately still has a number of barriers to overcome. Medical Cannabis Awareness Week serves as great reminder that many patients still struggle to access this treatment option despite the rule changes in 2018. At Curaleaf Pharmacy, we are working hard with clinicians, regulators and patients to ensure we remove as many barriers to treatment as possible”
The Future of Medical Cannabis?
The fantastic work from advocacy groups such as Medical Cannabis Awareness Week by PLEA, as well as research and advocacy provided by specialist clinics and doctors provides hope that wider access is on its way. Curaleaf Pharmacy is also able to play a role in providing affordable access for all patients in need.
Our hope is that providing clear patient access to a UK manufactured product at an economical price, will be the turning point in securing long term NHS funding for this vital treatment.
Join the Conversation #MCAW2020 : http://medicalcannabisweek.org.uk
Curaleaf Pharmacy is running to raise money and awareness this week with the Sapphire Medical Foundation. Give what you can here: https://www.sapphirefoundation.co.uk/donations/mcaw2020/
