Britain’s First Medicinal Cannabis Clinic

Following the announcement that specialist doctors in the UK can now prescribe Cannabis products for medicinal usage for patients, the first specialist medical Cannabis clinic opened in Greater Manchester.

The decision made to offer help to each patient must be on a case-by-case basis and only when the patient has a special clinical need that cannot be met by licensed products. The Medical Cannabis Clinics, launched by European Cannabis Holdings (ECH) will specialise in innovative therapy and prescription Cannabis. ECH also hit another historic milestone by leading the import of the UK’s first bulk shipment of Cannabis-based medicine.

It will reportedly cost £200 to see a doctor and then a further £600 - £700 a month to have a private prescription of Cannabis.

The Beeches private health clinic is headed by Professor Mike Barnes, neurologist and consultant in rehabilitation medicine, who aided epilepsy patient Alfie Dingley obtain his Medical Cannabis license.

Prof. Barnes states: “This clinic will represent a lifeline to those whose have found other treatments ineffective… The hope is that over time patients all around the country and not just in Manchester will have access to the relief that they need.”

He went on to states that this is a pioneering step that will “bring the UK in line with other countries when it comes to pain management.” Countries such as Canada and Jamaica had already legalised the use of Medical Cannabis, with the UK now closely following.

The clinic will be managed by Dr David McDowell, an independent pain specialist who made history by issuing the first prescription for Medical Cannabis to Forzana Nasir. Nasir, 32, a university student from South London suffers from a genetic condition named Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. This left her in severe pain and causes her to feel nauseous and vomit.

After being given her medicinal Cannabis to trade for her 13 different medications she was taking a day, she said it “allows me to ease my chronic pain which turns an unbearable day into a manageable day. It has been life-changing for me – I was almost bedbound before this and now I have much greater quality of life.”

Manchester’s new clinic has had four patients qualify for Medical Cannabis since opening on 9 March 2019. Medics aim to continue to treat those experiencing chromic pain and currently depend on strong, addictive opioids.

More clinics are set to open in London and in Birmingham later this year.