Multiple Sclerosis patients in Scotland call for better access to life-changing cannabis spray

by druginc

Multiple Sclerosis patients in Scotland call for better access to life-changing cannabis spray

Scottish patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are launching a campaign calling for better access to medicinal cannabis products approved as a treatment for their condition.

In the UK, Sativex – an oral cannabis spray containing CBD and THC contains – approved for the treatment of spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis. Spasticity is a common symptom of the condition and is characterized by painful muscle stiffness and spasms.

Sativex is currently available on the via the National Health Service in England, Wales and Northern Ireland but is currently only available through private clinics in Scotland for individual patient treatment requests which can be a time consuming and uncertain process.

In Scotland alone, there are reportedly more than 15.000 people with MS, 80% of whom will experience spasticity at some point in their lives.

Studies have shown that medicinal cannabis may be helpful in reducing spasticity in patients with multiple sclerosis. Other treatments commonly used include muscle relaxants such as Baclofen and Tizanidine.

Campaign cannabis for multiple sclerosis patients

Medical cannabis was legalized in the UK in 2019, but prescriptions must be checked by a specialist doctor. A year later, the National Institutes for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) released their recommendations for the use of cannabis-based products.

However, the regulations of the NHS have been very limited, forcing most patients to choose between black market cannabis and private clinics which can incur significant costs.

According to the MS Society (UK): “One in five people with MS we surveyed in 2014 told us they had used cannabis to relieve their symptoms.” Respondents to this study claimed that medicinal cannabis had helped with muscle spasms and stiffness (spasticity) and pain.

This month, the UK-based MS Society launched its campaign to end the “postcode lottery” that currently dictates the availability of medicinal cannabis products for MS patients in England. Patients in Scotland have now launched their own campaign for better access to Sativex.

“Approval for this treatment would give all clinicians the confidence to prescribe something that could be life-changing for so many people.”

Fredi Cavander-Attwood, policy manager at the MS Society, said: “MS can be brutal, painful and disabling, and getting the treatment you need shouldn't be a game of chance. Sativex doesn't work for everyone with MS, but when it does, the impact could be life-changing.”

Sources including Canex (EN), Daily Record (EN), MSNewsToday (EN), MS Society (EN)

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