Ahead of European Cannabis Week, Grow Group’s Managing Director, Pierre van Weperen, talks to Cannabis Health about the current state of play, and the future of cannabis-based medicine in the UK.
More than 6.4 million people in the UK are currently waiting for treatment on the NHS. For conditions like chronic pain, endometriosis, ADHD, and PTSD, patients are left in limbo for months, sometimes years, without diagnosis, support, or treatment.
There is a rising human cost to these delays, which includes lost jobs, declining mental health, relationship breakdowns, and increased reliance on addictive or ineffective treatments. It’s perhaps not surprising that in response, more patients are turning away from traditional care pathways altogether and seeking alternative solutions, including medical cannabis.
The UK State of Play Session at Cannabis Europa later this month, will explore how cannabis-based medicine can help address some of the challenges currently crippling the healthcare system, as well as empowering patients to regain some control over their lives.
Panellist Pierre van Weperen believes medical cannabis represents an important alternative pathway for patients who are tired of not receiving the care they need through the public health system.
“We are in the middle of a public and national health crisis and the NHS is not going to solve it,” he tells Cannabis Health.
“Millions are on waitlists, and even when people are treated, the quality and outcomes are at best in the bottom half of the European standard.”
“I am pretty sure that patients on waitlists or those who feel that the NHS can’t do anything for them anyway, currently spend a lot of money on food supplements and other things that give them hope but achieve very little. The empowered patient doesn’t wait but gets himself or herself off that waitlist.”
A regulatory system “not fit for purpose”
While private medical cannabis clinics remain out of reach for some, their increasing affordability — and the growth of patient access schemes — means they are becoming a more viable option for thousands of people in the UK.
But even as demand grows companies operating in the UK’s medical cannabis sector face ongoing challenges, including navigating a regulatory system that van Weperen describes as “not fit for purpose anymore.”
“Soon we will have 250,000 patients, and we still treat cannabis differently from any other unlicensed medicine,” he explains.
This creates extra cost, delay, and complexity for businesses, all of which trickle down to those seeking affordable access to treatment.
“The other critical issue is that we have this additional option for patients available but because of the regulations around advertising medicines, we actually cannot tell anybody about it,” van Weperen adds.
“This means that many patients either are completely unaware or turn to the black market for their cannabis. Surely it would be better to tell potential patients about this then seeing them support crime and exposing themselves to potentially dangerous products as also a recent report has shown?”
NHS access “unlikely”
Earlier this month the Home Office tasked the ACMD with carrying out another review of the CBPM framework in the UK to help determine whether the change of legislation in 2018 has had the intended effect.
But van Weperen believes that it is “unlikely” that cannabis-based medicines are going to be available on the NHS anytime soon.
“The unfortunate reality is that most MPs and people in government do not understand the difference between CBD and medical cannabis,” he says.
“They have very different priorities and are bored with discussions about medical cannabis.”
“Don’t forget they are also very much worried that by supporting medical cannabis they would potentially be opening the door for a whole list of other products and therapies such as psilocybin and ketamine.”
500,000 patients in the next five years
Despite these challenges, van Weperen remains optimistic about where the UK could be heading, if the sector keeps its focus in the right place.
“In five years, I want to see 500,000 patients who are finding benefit in medical cannabis, keeping their jobs, having their families back, contributing to society in a meaningful way and having found their lives back,” he says.
“We focus way too much on where the industry will be. This is not about the industry, it’s about the patients that we can help — and the companies that are doing that best will be leading the way. And I want to be part of that with Grow.”
Continue the conversation with Pierre in the UK State of Play Session at Cannabis Europa in London on Tuesday 24 June. Get tickets here.
The European cannabis industry is preparing to descend on Berlin and London for European Cannabis Week where the latest insights from the world’s leading voices will take centre stage across four separate events taking place from June 19-25.
For further real-time updates on market dynamics, market sizing and evolving regulations, pre-orders for the soon-to-be-launched digital report from Prohibition Partners are now available here
The post “I Want to See 500,000 Patients Benefiting From Medical Cannabis”— Pierre van Weperen, Grow Group, on the UK State of Play appeared first on Cannabis Health News.
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Author: Opinion editor
