UK Cannabis Cards Aim to Protect Patients from the Law
This month the UK saw the official announcement of an innovative and radical measure which aims to protect cannabis patients from criminal prosecution: the medical cannabis card. Conceived by activists, the idea is the result of the UK’s poorly implemented legal medical cannabis system. This has been in place since 2018, yet has only seen a total of around 90 prescriptions from the NHS, and a handful privately. This figure is dwarfed by the potential 1.4 million patients who could qualify for a cannabis prescription. Privately, the medicine can cost over £5000 per month, making it out of reach for most of the population, creating a situation where medical cannabis is only accessible to the wealthy.
Cancard was created by activist Carly Barton who uses cannabis to treat chronic nerve pain. She told VICE News “Two years on from the law change around access to medicinal cannabis, we are still very much seeing a two-tier system in the UK... those affluent enough to afford a private prescription are able to buy themselves immunity from prosecution, while people who legally qualify, but can't sustain the costs, are at risk of criminalisation for consuming the same medicine for the same condition.”
Cancard is essentially an official statement of a patient’s illness: when a medical cannabis patient is caught in possession of illegally acquired cannabis, the card informs the police officers of their medical condition and its relation to cannabis. This situation could also be extended to individuals growing a small amount for personal medical use. The law has not changed, but these cards give an indication to the police that the individual is in possession due to medical necessity as opposed to recreational use and/or dealing. The cards have been approved and backed by a number of police chiefs who realise their priorities lie elsewhere.
Simon Kempton of the Police Federation told the Times: “Our members didn't join the police to lock up these people. This is an initiative that I support… it gives officers information on which to base their decision-making around whether or not to use discretion or to arrest a member of the public.” Several medical professionals and MPs have also backed the initiatives, however paradoxically it has also been stressed that people should not break the law.
Strict measures are being put in place to ensure the card is not used as a “get out of jail free card” by criminals - applications must contain written confirmation of the patients’ condition from their GP, coupled with evidence that they have tried other prescription drugs before resorting to a cannabis based medicine - the same process necessary to receive the formal prescription. Cancard’s success largely depends on the practice of its use, in theory it works as a half measure of decriminalization, but in practice police officers and judges have the right to act with the full force of the law. Cancard will be trialed from 1st November, time will tell how it will influence authorities’ decisions.