Legal medical weed in the UK has been around for more than half a decade now.
But many misconceptions still remain. The current situation most definitely doesn't mean anyone is allowed to smoke stinky skunk on the streets of Harrogate town centre. But it does mean tens of thousands of legitimate patients can treat their conditions with the proven effects of medical cannabis - all with no joint smoke in sight. So, how do prescribed patients medicate in the UK today?
Well, there are plenty of ways to ingest prescribed medical cannabis without the unhealthy and malodorous burning of plant matter. In fact, smoking medical cannabis is not allowed under prescription rules, and remains illegal in the UK. This article will discuss all the types of medical cannabis that are available on the market for patients today from CBD-derived products to vaped cannabis flower, edibles or THC oils.
CBD Products Such as Oils, Balms and Ointments
Although Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the main psychoactive element of the cannabis plant, other molecules within the flower have been of scientific interest as potentially therapeutic. Chief among them is CBD, or cannabidiol.
If you're looking for the best cbd products, it's of real importance that you find somewhere to compare your top options. Simply taking up the first or most well-marketed brand you see is no guarantee there will be a sufficient level of CBD in the product to have a therapeutic effect. Rating sites can help you understand which options are preferred by other patients and expert reviewers.
Extracted CBD has no overt psychoactive effects, but has been shown by research to be a promising treatment for a range of conditions. Although not conclusively researched in all cases, there are also thousands of anecdotal reports of CBD's efficacy in treating following:
• PTSD-induced insomnia and nightmares
• Chronic anxiety
• Traumatic brain injury recovery
• Topical application for joint pain
In addition CBD medication is basically confirmed as an effective treatment for various forms of severe epilepsy. This exact case is one of the only forms of legal cannabis medication currently prescribed by the NHS.
Vaping is Allowed, Smoking Banned
Because they can't be smoked, patients interested in the unique tastes and properties of medical cannabis strains, vaped cannabis flower is the treatment method many prefer. A medical cannabis clinician will be able to recommend certain strains, but online databases and guides can help you come to your own decision based on your needs.
Vaped cannabis is, unlike smoking, not damaging to the lungs or throat. Vaping dry flower also ensures patients consume the whole plant, including THC and CBD but also terpenes and flavonoids (responsible for taste, smell and colour) and a long list of some 480 other cannabinoids.
Although the effects of many of these are not well researched, scientists are currently looking into many of them to answer why the combined flower is sometimes a more effective treatment for certain conditions than isolated THC or CBD alone.
Edibles are Discrete, Effective and Long Lasting (But Intense)
Edible cannabis based medicines are some of the most potent options available on the market today. They are also the most discrete, with zero smell, mess or preparation required before dosing.
However, they are also long lasting - with the psychoactive effects lasting around four to eight hours compared to two to four hours for vaped cannabis. The potential for the psychoactive experience to become overwhelming in new patients is also higher, as the effects take a while to kick in and dosage is more complicated. Storage is also a consideration. If not kept in medical storage, cannabis edibles may not obviously be different from normal food when looked at by non patients.
Edibles and oils offer longer-lasting pain relief, and chronic pain is the most prescribed for condition for medical cannabis patients in Britain. On the flipside, the risks are enhanced. Clinicians will explain further before prescribing edibles or suggesting that patients switch.
THC containing edibles prescribed by clinics can come in various forms including:
• Baked goods
• Chocolate
• Gel capsules
• Gummies, lozenges and sweets
You may see drinks, shakes and other products marketed with cannabis leaves available in shops and business across the UK - but these are not medical cannabis edibles. These nominally contain CBD, which is legal in all forms, but quite often they don't contain much or any CBD at all.
THC Oils and Distillates Are the Most Potent
For the most potent medication for your pounds, cannabis oils should be top of the list. Cannabis oils - usually taken sublingually, as drops or sprays under the tongue - are the main ingredient in NHS-prescribed cannabis medications. Although you can also obtain them through private clinics.
Oils and sprays are more discrete than vaping but require some more preparation than edibles. They also take some learning to dose correctly.
Oils are licensed as NHS medications, when prepared by pharmaceutical companies, because the potency is closest to the pure samples often used in research. Brands like Epidyolex and Sativex are currently prescribed by NHS doctors, although they represent a very small number of patients compared to the private clinic market.
