First medical cannabis clinic in United Kingdom opens

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Image of the Manchester, England, skyline

(Photo by Chris Chambers/stock.adobe.com)

Britain’s first dedicated medical marijuana clinic opened in Manchester, setting the groundwork for wider use of MMJ in the country and sparking criticism from some quarters of the medical community.

More clinics are expected to open in London and Birmingham later this spring, according to a news release.

Only a handful of patients have had access to medical cannabis since it was legalized in the UK last November.

The Manchester clinic is private.

The clinic will serve patients suffering from:

  • Chronic pain.
  • Neurological conditions such as epilepsy, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
  • Psychiatric issues such as depression.

European Cannabis Holdings (ECH) is establishing the facilities. ECH is the same company that – together with Grow Biotech and IPS Specials – participated in the first bulk import of medical cannabis to the UK last February.

A first consultation with a specialist in the clinic will cost 250 pounds sterling ($327). Self-referred patients will need a previous appointment with a general practitioner.

Steve Moore, strategy director at the UK Center for Medicinal Cannabis, told Marijuana Business Daily: “With London being a world’s leading financial center, it’s inevitable that developments like these will occur. But this type of access isn’t a solution for the vast majority of patients in need of medicine.”

Resistance from the medical profession didn’t take long to surface.

In response to the clinic’s opening, Dr. Barry Miller, dean of the faculty of pain medicine of the Royal College of Anaesthetists, issued a statement, saying:

“The Faculty of Pain Medicine is deeply concerned by this development, which appears in contrast to the very limited data available on the use of cannabinoids for pain management and, that these clinics are being introduced before the findings of research being undertaken by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence are published.”

Alfredo Pascual can be reached at alfredop@mjbizdaily.com