Here’s how to solve the NHS’s chronic underfunding: legalise cannabis | Lily Steele

Criminalising weed hits patients twice. It deprives them of a tax revenue that could fund their care, and also robs them of a potential medical aid

If there existed a lucrative industry, with proven success, that helps people get better and could save money for the NHS, shouldn’t we be talking about it?

After attending a cannabis conference in Denver, Colorado, it struck me that here was a real solution to some of the difficulties our health services is facing. Cannabis has been medically legal in Colorado since 2000, and recreationally legal since 2012. While there, I realised I had my own dated idea of what “recreational” use actually entailed and was swiftly enlightened. Athletes apply cannabis infused balms for muscle soreness, arthritic pets are treated with cannabis biscuits and mothers take “edibles” (cannabis infused treats) to relax, swapping the wine bottle for weed wine gums. The line between medicinal and recreational use is very hazy anyway. Is your evening glass of Malbec or that pint in the pub for recreational or medicinal purposes? In my case, both.

The UK has a chance to improve the financial wellbeing of the NHS and most importantly, the wellbeing of the people

Related: Mice benefit from research into cannabis. Why not us? | Simon Jenkins

Continue reading... November 03, 2017 at 03:32PM