Views and opinions
An ever increasing number of health-related organisations, government-commissioned reports and experts are endorsing the use of cannabis for medical purposes. In addition, in almost every recent public poll the general public have shown that they too are in favour of allowing medical users to treat their diseases in their chosen, effective way. A tiny fraction of these are shown below.
The Royal Society
The Royal Society and the Academy of Medical Sciences prepared a document in July 1998 entitled The Use of Cannabis and its Derivatives for Medical and Recreational Purposes, which forms their joint submission to the House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee Inquiry. The document summarises the evidence for medical cannabis. It concludes that the current medical data is insufficient to support the medical prescribing of cannabis because of the psychoactive and physiological side effects and the evidence that tolerance and mild dependence can occur.
They do not support smoking cannabis for medical purposes because smoke from herbal cannabis contains toxic substances similar to cigarette smoke. However, they call for controlled clinical trials and laboratory research to be conducted with cannabinoids, including isolated single components of cannabis (e.g. THC), extracts of herbal cannabis, as well as selective CB1 and CB2 compounds. When contacted to discuss The Royal Society's thoughts or policy suggestions regarding the now-legalised medical cannabis, they responded that they do not see this as an active area of policy interest.
British Medical Association
The British Medical Association (BMA) has a long history of advocating the use of cannabis for therapeutic purposes. In 1997 they published the book Therapeutic Uses of Cannabis (Harwood Academic Publishers, £11.99, ISBN 90 5702 3180) supports the use of cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) under certain conditions, including chronic pain, nausea, and vomiting associated with chemotherapy, and muscle spasms associated with multiple sclerosis. However, the BMA also acknowledges risks associated with using CBMPs, including the potential for addiction and psychosis.
The BMA believes that specialist clinicians should supervise the use of CBMP as they are familiar with the risks and benefits of these products. The BMA also believes that prescriptions for CBMP should only be written by doctors with the necessary clinical experience and competencies.
The BMA supports the call for further research into the safety and potential indications for using CBMPs. Believing that this research will help better to understand the risks and benefits of these products and will help to ensure that they are used safely and effectively.
The BMA's position on CBMPs bases its decision on carefully assessing the available evidence.
The House of Lords
The House of Lords has supported the conversation and progression of research into the medicinal use of cannabis. They have called for and backed clinical trials since 1998, which led to the first pharmaceutical cannabis licence to be granted to GW Pharmaceuticals. In 2001 there was a call for cannabis scheduling to be changed from Schedule 1 to Schedule 2 by the Select Committee on Science, which would allow doctors to prescribe it. Two years after cannabis was legalised as a medicine in 2018, The House of Lords published a report The House of Lords is keeping a close eye on the formation of the prescription cannabis process as it develops, publishing a report in 2020 detailing the timeline and significant statements, reports and changes to access between 2018 and 2020.
General Public
In a 2021's YouGov poll asking the public if they support the legalisation of cannabis, there was 52% for it and 32% against it. All age groups showed a majority in supporting legalisation except those over 65, who were narrowly against it. However, more detailed polling results published by Statista in January 2023 revealed approximately 38 per cent of people in Great Britain aged between 25 and 49 supported the legalisation of cannabis and other soft drugs, compared with just 24 per cent of those aged 65 or over who supported it. Overall 55% said yes to decriminalisation or legalisation of some kind, whilst 36% said they supported the current criminalisation framework. 10% of people said they did not know.
Police Federation
The Police Federation in 2020 called for a debate on future drug legislation, stating that "prohibition has failed". Cannabis prosecutions have dropped by 16%, according to the Telegraph, which the Federation put down to a decrease in resources that has led to cannabis offences being less of a priority rather than "going soft" on cannabis crimes.
Police Crime Commissioners Ron Hogg in Durham, Arfon Jones in Wrexham, North Wales, Hardyl Dinsda in Derbyshire and David Jamieson have been vocal advocates for policy change allowing UK Cannabis Social Clubs to operate in their jurisdiction without fear of being raided.
"We are not calling for their legalisation or decriminalisation, but clearly, prohibition has failed. We now need an open, honest, transparent debate about tackling this issue taking evidence from around the world." - Simon Kempton Police Federation Drugs Lead.
British Medical Journal
During the campaign to legalise medical cannabis in the UK, the British Medical Journal supported patient access by publishing first-hand stories by patients who have been illegally treating their medical conditions with cannabis. In 2018 The BMJ pledged to continue campaigning for the key to medical cannabis patients needed. In 2022 the BMJ published an article by Pf David Nutt titled "Why doctors have a moral imperative to prescribe and support medical cannabis."
Labour
The Labour Party has formally announced under the leadership of Sir Keir Starmer that Labour has no plans to legalise or decriminalise cannabis. Starmers' previous role in the Crown Prosecution Service has contributed to his view that cannabis is a dangerous and harmful drug. Cannabis has become a campaign tool for Keir Starmer, revisiting the soundbite multiple times that cannabis smoking on the streets gets into people's windows and "destroys lives'' and is "not low level [crime]". However, Manchester MP Jeff Smith put forward a Medical Cannabis Access Bill in 2021, which has reached the second reading in the House of Commons. The Bill would allow GPs to prescribe Cannabis Based Medicinal Products upon receiving training about the kinds of products available. Swansea MP Tonia Antoniazi has become a patron of medical cannabis, putting considerable energy into fighting for parents trying to gain access to medical cannabis on the NHS. Tonia also sits on the All Party Parliamentary Group for medical cannabis access.
Conservatives
As the party that legalised medical cannabis, there has not been any push to advance further upon the legislation that was introduced in 2018. The Conservative Party do not have plans to legalise recreational cannabis. Nick Clegg claims that at his time in Downing Street as Deputy PM, then Home Secretary Theresa May kept trying to delete sentences from official drug reports which she did not agree with. An Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs member, Pf Alex Stevens, blew the whistle on the Home Office who for three years suppressed a report calling for the immediate decriminalisation of cannabis - the first and only report that they have decided to not publish in their history. The Home Office was taken to court over failing to release a Freedom of Information request relating to the unpublished report but won the case with the judge ruling in favour of the Home Office.
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats have made it party policy and included cannabis legalisation and regulation as a manifesto promise. In the 2019 General Election, new party leader Jo Swinson promised to stop criminalising so many young people but failed to be reelected in her constituency. A detailed official drug policy document called Honesty, Realism, Responsibility: Proposals for the Reform of Drugs Law contained a strong critique of prohibition, looked into ideas of a free regulated market for cannabis and other drugs.
Under the leadership of Ed Davey, the party has been silent on drug policy issues, most notably due to the other significant issues facing the population and the nation effectively sidelining the issue.
The Green Party
ith a manifesto pledge to legalise and regulate the cannabis market, there is no set plan on how they would roll this out. Still, they do prefer a non-commercial model for the cannabis market, opting in favour of the cannabis social club model. The Green Party are in favour of allowing adults to grow cannabis at home for their personal use and sees medical cannabis as a separate issue to recreational access.
Federation of American Scientists
In 1994 The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) petitioned the government to carry out research into medical cannabis uses and urged them to do it quickly. President Joe Biden signed a Bill in 2022, finally allowing domestic research into cannabis. In 2023 the FAS highlighted that there is a growing wealth divide in America and that the cannabis industry may contribute to this if there are insufficient measures and policies to help create greater equality.
American Nurses Association
The American Nurses Association has created an online webinar to help teach more nurses and medical professionals about treating patients with medical cannabis products or understanding patients' use. The webinar covers the six essential areas of medical cannabis care that the National Council of State Boards of Nursing defined in 2018. It helps nurses support patients while protecting their licence and develop a care plan for prescribed medical cannabis.
American Medical Association
The American Medical Association are in favour of clinical trials for cannabis medicines and believes that policy should reflect this work rather than campaigns designed by companies to make profits out of the medical need. Despite the growing number of states that have voted to legalise medical cannabis in some form of access, the American Medical Association does not back state ballot initiatives to allow patients to use cannabis without fear of criminalisation. In 2020 the AMA urged Mississippi voters to vote "No" to enable people diagnosed with one of 22 medical conditions to be allowed to possess 2.5 ounces of cannabis.
National Academy of Medicine
For the first time since 1999, the National Academy of Science Engineering and Medicine compiled the most comprehensive studies into the most recent research into the recreational and therapeutic uses of cannabis. The report examined the benefits and risks of cannabis and cannabis-based medicinal products and their effects on conditions such as cancers, injuries, diseases and mental health conditions—areas where there was insufficient evidence called for more research.
Updated June 2023 - Greg de Hoedt, Releaf.