In this update, find out what GPs think about medical cannabis as we celebrate 1000 patients joining Project Twenty21. We share updates on the project, including new clinics and data insights, as well as initiatives working to improve medical cannabis in the UK.
We also announce new events related to the project and medical cannabis more generally.
We are thrilled to have reached this huge milestone and it makes us even more committed to reaching more patients over the coming months. If you are one of those 1000 patients and would like to share your experience, submit your story here.
We’re also on the look out for students aged 18+ who are up for helping us spread the word about Project Twenty21 during Freshers Week this coming September! We even have an exclusive 50% off Product Earth Festival tickets on offer with a valid student ID. So if you or anyone you know is interested, fill out this quick and easy form and we’ll be in touch soon.
And more exciting news – we have added Leva pain clinic to our Clinic Directory. Leva pain clinic is offering T21 patients free access to their Pain Management Programme. President of the British Pain Society (BPS), Dr Arun Bhaskar, is on the prescribing team at Leva and has been a loyal advocate of the project, having hosted a fantastic BPS event for doctors back in May – we’re honoured to have his support on T21.
Quotes
“Medical cannabis works for my pain better than anything I’ve ever tried.”
“[The] medical cannabis staff are great, and doctors are informed and compassionate.”
Please note that the disparity of datapoints from previous months is due to work we’re doing behind the scenes to clean up missing data entry with clinics prescribing T21 products.
This month's data nugget
Although sleep is not one of the primary qualifying conditions for T21, we are finding that it affects many patients with the disorders we’re studying. Our baseline data shows that many of this patient group experienced substantial difficulties with sleep, and follow-up analyses will examine whether prescribed cannabis improves sleep.
A new cannabis community is growing
This month saw the inaugural meeting of the newly-formed Cannabis Industry Council, chaired by our very own Clinical Director, Prof. Mike Barnes. Our Head of Research, Dr Anne Schlag, and Head of Comms for Project Twenty21, Mags Houston, both attended the session in London where many of the industry were meeting face-to-face for the first time (certainly a welcome change from yet another Zoom call!). Amongst its objectives, the Council aims to set clearer guidance for product quality, supply and labelling, and we are proud to be part of these discussions as they progress and hopefully move the industry forward.
Share this with your GP
We’re thrilled to announce that the Primary Care Cannabis Network (PCCN) has released the results of its nationwide GP survey looking at the attitudes of GPs towards prescribing medical cannabis. Although GPs cannot currently prescribe medical cannabis independently, they can support specialist consultants with prescribing and can refer patients to clinics offering medical cannabis treatment. So it’s important that these doctors learn about the progress being made with medical cannabis research and registries like T21. We would encourage you to speak to your local GP about this report, so we can try to shift the stigma still very much present amongst doctors around medical cannabis, as well as helping doctors feel more informed and confident about providing patients with advice in this treatment area.
Scotland Patient Working Group
Are you a medical cannabis patient living in Scotland? The team at PLEA is collaborating with Dr Anna Ross at the University of Edinburgh to further access to medicinal cannabis in Scotland and looking for patients to join the Scotland patient working group. Aiming to improve access to medicinal cannabis on the NHS, the working group will work to raise awareness, develop clinician education and liaise with the Scottish government on drug policy. If you are interested in joining, simply complete an application, stating whether you’d like to join solely the Scotland group or the wider group as a whole.
Events
The Role of Nurses in Medical Cannabis Care – 14th July A webinar hosted by the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society, CannyNurse™ Certificate Programme and the Nurse’s Arm of Cannabis Patient Advocacy and Support Service (CPASS), we will discuss the role of the nurse in medical cannabis treatment, sharing experiences, discussing practicalities and learning more about training. Register here for free. Black Voices Speak: Cannabis Social Justice Poetry Workshop – 24th July & more dates This workshop is a call-to-action for black people to use poetry to highlight the negative impact of drug policy on black communities. Sign up here. Medical Cannabis Explained (for medical professionals): 22nd July Our next CPD certified training session for medical professionals is a perfect opportunity for doctors to ask questions face-to-face with our Clinical Director, Prof Mike Barnes. To find out more and register, click here. Women’s Health & Cannabis Medicines: Motherhood – 3rd August A groundbreaking webinar exploring the experiences of mothers and their children who require cannabis medicines to manage their conditions. Register for free here. Product Earth Festival – 20th-22nd August Product Earth Expo-Fest is the only Hemp and CBD event that highlights the complete business eco-system of cannabis, its many varieties, derivatives and uses. From agricultural, industrial and medicinal, to production, wholesale and retail, it is the leading UK showcase for this rapidly evolving and exciting industry. Buy your ticket here.
How can you help?
As we analyse more data and receive more and more stories from patients, the importance of Project Twenty21 has never been clearer. If you’d like to support Project Twenty21, to help us gather evidence for medical cannabis to be covered by the NHS, please consider a donation to Drug Science.
Every little bit helps us continue the essential work that we do.