Eligible patients in the UK can apply for the UK’s new medical cannabis card – Cancard.
The Cancard is a validated indication to the police, or any third party, that you are consuming cannabis for medical reasons, aiming to protect those using self-sourced illegal cannabis for medicinal purposes from arrest.
Despite cannabis medicines becoming legal in 2018, patients unable to afford a costly prescription are stuck in limbo, Cancard aims to bridge the gap between patients, doctors and the police. The card allows for the police to exercise discretion by understanding that the patient caught in possession is medicating for their condition.
Any patient that has a health condition for which they could receive a private medical cannabis prescription, but may not necessarily be able to afford it are eligible for the card.
Treating people as patients, not criminals
The card was launched by Carly Barton, who is the first patient in the UK to receive a private medical cannabis prescription. She lives with chronic pain and seizure-like, dystonic episodes, and turned to the black market after she was no longer able to afford a private prescription. The card is the first initiative in the UK which gives police the tools and confidence to use their discretion for possession of an illegal substance, as well as the first to see a grassroots campaign collaborate on such a scale with law enforcement, health professionals, and policymakers.
Barton said:
“We all know that cases, where patients have proved legitimate medicinal use, are unlikely to make it to court, and if they do these cases are consistently dropped. This is especially the case when a patient presents with a condition that is being privately prescribed for. There is currently no way of identifying these people before emotional distress has been caused and public resources have been wasted.
“There is an opportunity to provide something that changes this by way of providing a service that benefits both the patients and the police. Cancard should give patients peace of mind and police confidence in using their discretion before any stress has been caused to vulnerable people. Without a law change, we have national guidance and discretion with which to build a solution, both of which are huge parts of the design of Cancard. Having the police on board with the design and implementation of this has been essential to make this a plausible project.”
Any police officer that encounters a patient in possession of cannabis can contact a policing helpline to help them verify the patient is genuine, and as the card contains an RFID chip, officers will be able to scan it to confirm patient ID. The card’s working group also extends to representatives from organisations such as the Police Federation, the National Police Chiefs Council, the Police Foundation, the Drug Expert Witness Board, the Superintendents Association, senior policing figures in organised crime, the Conservative Party Drug Reform Group, and GP networks.
GP, Dr Leon Barron, said:
“Cancard ensures that these people do not have to suffer the additional burden of fear or anxiety of facing criminal charges for simply treating themselves with a medicine that they have found effective. Fortunately, there are now a growing number of GPs who are recognising the value of cannabis for therapeutic purposes and are supportive of their patients who choose this alternative treatment pathway.”
Martyn Underhill, Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset, added:
“More than a million patients in the UK qualify for a private cannabis prescription for a range of conditions, but sadly many of them cannot afford this and so could face criminalisation if they are found in possession of what to them is a vital medicine.
“The Cancard will provide them with assurance that their ill health will not lead to a criminal record, while it will also be a valuable tool to help frontline officers, saving them time by providing immediate verification of genuine medical patients and therefore giving them confidence to use their discretion.
Conditions eligible for the Cancard include some of those falling under the categories of cancer, palliative care, gastrointestinal, pain, neurological, and psychiatric. For more information visit www.cancard.co.uk.
