HSC plans to relax medicinal cannabis laws

Saturday 22 August 2020

People in Guernsey might soon be able to import medicinal cannabis from clinics in the UK, as all on-island doctors reportedly feel "ill-equipped" to prescribe the drug.

Pharmaceutical standard herbal cannabis was legalised locally last summer and can be prescribed in certain situations.

However, Health & Social Care has revealed that no doctors have approached the committee about prescribing since then. 

"The current arrangements are reliant on local doctors feeling able and willing to prescribe such products and being appropriately qualified to do so," said HSC. "There are many reasons why a doctor may feel ill-equipped to do so based on their professional experience and expertise."

Having noticed the barrier, HSC is now looking to relax the laws even further, allowing Guernsey residents to be prescribed medicinal cannabis in the UK and bring it back to the island, with potential support from local clinicians.

Pictured: President of Health & Social Care, Deputy Heidi Soulsby.

"It's one thing to make a change in the legal status, which we were pleased to be able to do last year, and another to make medicinal cannabis practically accessible," said HSC President Heidi Soulsby. "There are limits in how much we can influence that as a government, as it is rightly a matter for individual doctors to decide what they feel is best for their patients, in line with their professional expertise.

"However, this further change we're announcing means islanders will be able to access UK doctors with experience in this area and, where appropriate, get a legal prescription for cannabis products and access to the products themselves."

The situation is similar to that in Jersey where, although medicinal cannabis has been legal for the last two years, patients are struggling to get it locally because of resistance from doctors.

HSC's work is being progressed as a priority, meaning it is likely we will see changes to the law within the next month.