A leading cannabis industry body in the UK believes allowing GPs to prescribe the drug could help slash NHS waiting times and curb crime.
A report by the Cannabis Industry Council (CIC) argued that “a significant number” of the 7.4mln currently signed up to NHS waiting lists are suffering from chronic pain.
It calls for government changes to allow GPs to prescribe medical cannabis for people with chronic pain, arguing it could stop them from needing to sign up for waiting lists.
Many of those suffering from chronic pain end up being treated with highly addictive opioids, which can end up causing crime and death, the CIC said.
Dr Sunil Arora, chair of the CIC prescription cannabis working group, said: “The Cannabis Industry Council urges regulators and policymakers to support these modest, but transformative proposals to allow GPs to prescribe to their patients.”
One piece of evidence in favour of the changes is the success of similar laws in countries like Australia, Germany and Denmark.
All three of the countries allow GPs to prescribe medicinal cannabis, which resulted in a surge in prescriptions of the drug.
Women and elderly people in these areas are prescribed significantly more medical cannabis than in the UK.
“[It’s a] sign that stigma associated with the medicine has been significantly reduced, as well as reflecting that more women than men typically have chronic pain,” a statement on the CIC’s website said.
In the UK, there are only 1,000 medical cannabis patients per year on the NHS, whereas private clinics prescribe to around 20,000 Brits.
Around 1.8mln people every year buy cannabis from illicit markets to help with medical issues, research from a YouGov poll commissioned by Sapphire Clinics found.