2022 saw major developments in the legalisation of cannabis in countries all over the world. New Yorkers can now legally buy cannabis after the first specialist shop opened this new year. In Europe, Germany announced plans to legalise adult-use recreational cannabis, coming into effect next year, where the Czech Republic then followed closely behind. This comes as new reports from Prohibition Partners show that the number of medical cannabis patients in Europe grew by almost 100,000 over the last year with the UK seeing one of the biggest jumps, from around 13,000 patients to just over 32,000.
Furthermore, The National Police Chiefs Council recently submitted a proposal in a progressive move to decriminalise cocaine and cannabis. In a discussion about what this year will bring for the medical cannabis industry, Jon Robson, CEO/ founder of Mamedica, the UK’s leading medical cannabis clinic, is available to comment on what we can expect in 2023.

Medical cannabis was legalised in the UK in 2018 but its availability is strictly limited, making products difficult to access on the NHS. As a result, the number of families seeking medication through expensive avenues has increased as well as the number of people turning to cannabis via the grey market. In a landmark study commissioned by the medical cannabis clinic, Mamedica, it was found that one in six (16%) Brits admit to previously being recreational cannabis smokers but now use it to help with their health condition.

The UK and Germany have now been identified as ‘key markets’ with the sales of medical cannabis expected to account for 67% of the total market share by 2026. However, while the majority of patients have access to unlicensed cannabis medicines, most people find them ‘impossible’ to reach, due to either ‘bureaucratic or economic hurdles’.

Services such as Mamedica are paving the way for medicinal cannabis in the UK by providing bespoke prescriptions for their patients. Prescription medical cannabis is manufactured to a pharmaceutical standard like any other medication to ensure the safety and consistency of supply. Mamedica has a team of specialist practitioners, doctors and pharmacists who also use machine-learning algorithms to extract the most suitable prescribing decisions for the patient. This can then be delivered directly to the patient’s door within 24 hours.

Jon Robson, CEO of Mamedica says:

“The legalisation of adult recreational cannabis sales in Germany and other European countries has been on the agenda for quite some time. Recent headlines indicate a positive step forward however, the proposed framework of homegrown products and low THC limits might play into the hands of illicit market dealers. It is inevitable that much of Europe will follow Germany’s lead and although we are no longer in the EU, it would be no surprise for the U.K. to be a few years behind.

“I expect that over the next five years we will see mass adoption of private medical cannabis services in the UK, similar to what we have seen from German patients recently. At this point, the challenge is education and awareness however, once this barrier has been reduced, the medical market will inevitably pave the way for adult recreational sales as it has done in North America and in parts of Europe, where some countries are already legislating for sales by 2024.

“Our service offers unrestricted access to the widest range of cannabis-based prescription medicines available in the UK, and our healthcare model has been designed to deliver the fastest speed of service, from initial consultation to the patient receiving their prescription.”