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How Many UK Patients Are Being Privately Prescribed Cannabis?

Written by International Cannabis Chronicle on . Posted in Archives, Business, Policy. Leave a Comment

The United Kingdom is a fairly rough place when it comes to safe access to medical cannabis. The country’s medical cannabis program is notoriously restrictive, leaving suffering patients with little to no options depending on the situation.

For starters, the number of medical products that are considered to be legal in the United Kingdom is very low. Raw flower is not available to patients, and patients are not permitted to cultivate their own cannabis.

The National Health Service only allows cannabis-based products. Below is the definition of what that involves, via the National Health Service’s website:

There are three broad requirements that a product should satisfy:

  • The product is or contains cannabis, cannabis resin, cannabinol or a cannabinol derivative
  • It is produced for medicinal use in humans; and
  • It is a product that is regulated as a medicinal product, or an ingredient of a medicinal product.

The definition is necessarily broad to take account of the range of preparations which are cannabis-based that have been used for therapeutic purposes and to ensure that raw products/ingredients and intermediate products are captured.This is essential to ensure that where there is a clinical need, a patient will be able to access appropriate cannabis-based medicines and/or products can be made to meet any prescription.

Patients can get a prescription for a cannabis-based product through the National Health Service (NHS), however, as of last summer only 3 prescriptions had reportedly been issued by NHS.

Filling the void left by the NHS is private prescriptions. The prescriptions can only be issued by clinicians listed on the Specialist Register of the General Medical Council, and even then, the products eligible for a prescription are limited.

According to a new report from Prohibition Partners, private prescriptions have risen in the last two years. Below is an excerpt from their report:

Based on Prohibition Partners’ calculations, which conservatively assume all quarters in 2021 are equal, the annual number of products for last year amounted to 23,466 – a 425% increase on 2020. Things are moving more quickly elsewhere in the UK. On the island of Jersey, with a population of just over 100,000 inhabitants, more than 2,000 prescriptions were filled from January 2019 up to late 2021.

To put the figures into perspective, Prohibition Partners estimates that there are as many as 1.4 million patients in the United Kingdom that would purchase medical cannabis products if they were able to.

With that in mind, the uptick in private prescriptions in the UK is welcomed news, however, the UK’s medical cannabis program still has a long way to go when it comes to improving safe access for suffering patients.

In addition to expanding the type of products that patients can acquire, such as raw flower, patients also need to be able to cultivate their own medicine if they choose to do so, among other much-needed improvements.

Berlin International Cannabis Business Conference 2021

International Cannabis Business Conference Berlin 2022 Preview

Written by International Cannabis Chronicle on . Posted in Archives, Business, Entertainment, Policy, Science, Trending News. Leave a Comment

The International Cannabis Business Conference is coming back to Berlin, Germany on July 19-20, 2022. Offering world-class industry networking opportunities, the Berlin International Cannabis Business Conference is the largest B2B cannabis trade event in Europe and is also the longest-running cannabis B2B conference on the continent. The conference will once again feature a unique blend of cannabis policy, advocacy, industry, and networking.

Germany is home to the largest economy in the European Union and is poised to serve as the cannabis industry capital of Europe going forward. The cannabis industry is evolving rapidly in Germany, with the country’s medical cannabis program increasing in size with every passing day.

The International Cannabis Business Conference is the leading B2B cannabis event series on earth. Events have been held in the United States, Canada, Spain, Germany, and Switzerland. Additional locations in other countries are being identified and will be announced in the future. Over 5,000 attendees and 350 companies sponsors and exhibitors are expected at the Berlin International Cannabis Business B2B Conference in 2022.

International Cannabis Business Conference events are attended by leading policymakers, executives, and entrepreneurs from all over the world, with over 80 countries being represented at previous events. The event series is the best way for innovators and inventors to get their products or services in front of the top influencers and decision-makers in the cannabis space, as well as for investors to network with aspiring entrepreneurs.

The conference series consistently features world-class speakers that cannabis entrepreneurs, advocates, and consumers from all backgrounds can learn from and be entertained by. At the conclusion of the 2022 B2B event, attendees will be able to enjoy one of the International Cannabis Business Conference’s famous after-parties. This year’s B2B event after-party in Berlin will feature the multi-Grammy award-winning reggae band Morgan Heritage. After a conference of learning from true-cannabis experts and networking with cannabis enthusiasts from around the globe, the after-party featuring Morgan Heritage is the perfect way to unwind.

A cannabis industry revolution is sweeping Europe, and Germany is at the center of it. If you’re serious about succeeding in the cannabis industry, check out the International Cannabis Business Conference’s flagship program in Berlin in July. Leading cannabis entrepreneurs and policymakers from around the world will be in attendance and the networking and educational opportunities will be unparalleled.

You can secure tickets now and take advantage of the early bird pricing discount (expires June 22nd). Below is a preview video of what attendees can expect in Berlin:

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Argentina’s Ministry Of Health Issues New Medical Cannabis Rules

Written by International Cannabis Chronicle on . Posted in Archives, Policy.

Argentina is one of many countries around the world that is ramping up medical cannabis industry efforts. Medical cannabis was first legalized in Argentina back in 2017.

The initial legislation that was passed proved to be largely symbolic, with former President of Argentina Mauricio Macri doing seemingly everything that he could to thwart the nation’s medical cannabis program from getting off the ground.

That changed in 2020 when Argentina’s new President, Alberto Fernández, issued a decree that greatly increased safe access in the South American country. The decree allowed pharmacies to sell cannabis-derived oils, topicals, and other products, and it directed insurance systems to cover medical cannabis treatments for patients who obtained a prescription.

Argentina’s emerging medical cannabis industry has grown slowly, and that is largely due to the lack of the country bringing the nation’s cannabis non-profits onboard. Argentina, like many countries, is home to a number of semi-underground medical cannabis collectives and cooperatives.

Argentina’s Ministry of Health made further tweaks to the nation’s medical program this week that will further help to improve safe access and allow non-profits to obtain licenses, as outlined by excerpts below from Infobae:

After two years of meetings, requests, consultations and proposals, the National Ministry of Health announced that cannabis organizations will be able to legally cultivate marijuana plants for medicinal purposes for their members.

Organizations will be allowed to grow in15 square meters in different outdoor areas and up to 6 square meters in indoor crops (also called by its name in English, indoor ), per person as long as they are duly authorized. Within the limits of that surface, it will be possible to have up to nine plants flowered by each user.

In short, the rules for organizations mirror those established for private users in a resolution published last year. This is the same permitted area for cultivation, the same number of plants and the same permit to transport buds or oil within Argentine territory: between one and six 30-milliliter jars or up to 40 grams of dried flowers .

It will be interesting to see how these new rules may affect a pending court case that is currently before the Argentina Supreme Court. Part of the 2020 decree legalized home cultivation, but only with a license. Currently, there are no home cultivation licenses issued in Argentina.

Ultimately, only time will tell if the new rules affect the Court’s reasoning in any major or minor way. In the meantime, patients will at least be able to legally work in conjunction with a non-profit to obtain medical cannabis without fear of prosecution.