Metro (UK)
Around 17,000 people in the UK are now thought to have received legal medical cannabis for a range of conditions including chronic pain, depression, insomnia and Parkinson’s.
But still many otherwise law-abiding citizens across the country are using the black market as they are unaware the law changed in 2018.
A mum-of-one with Chron’s disease from South Wales told Metro.co.uk how she barely had the strength to look after her child before deciding to access the plant illegally.
She now has a legal prescription and says cannabis alleviates her pain and stomach cramps, allowing her to be more active, work and spend quality time with her family.
A natural medicine specialist with a background in clinical research says cooking cannabis into brownies helped reduce his dad’s Parkinson’s related tremors and drastically improved his quality of sleep.
A DJ and director from north London who previously suffered from Hodgkin lymphoma – a rare form of cancer – told how accessing the drug eased her discomfort.
It proved even more important after chemotherapy caused corrosion in her hip bones, meaning she was in pain and required a replacement.
One thing all of these people have in common is that despite doing their research on the medicinal benefits of cannabis, it took them some time to realise it was legally available to them since 2018.
Medical cannabis now prescribed to 17,000 in UK – but many are still using black market
