A recent poll has found that 1.8 million people in the UK are self-medicating using cannabis, a 29 per cent rise from 2019. The number of people using weed to self-medicate is rising too, up 29 per cent since 2019, with Brits spending roughly £3.57 billion a year on cannabis for health reasons. As of March 2023, there are roughly 20,000 people in the UK using medical cannabis - but there should be so many more. “Patients are eligible to get a medical cannabis prescription if they have tried two traditionally prescribed medications that have not worked. Once you have proof of this, including your medical records and patient history, you will need to speak with a specialist or be referred to a specialist.” Essentially, it’s a long, drawn out process - so it’s easy to see why some people choose to just hit up their dealer, in spite of the risks that come with it. Eve no longer self-medicates - she stopped once she discovered Sapphire Clinics, the UK’s first private medical cannabis clinic - and now, she gets her weed prescribed. There’s a reason people have been using cannabis for its medicinal reasons for centuries. There’s still a long way to go - in terms of decriminalisation, legalisation, and improving access to medicinal cannabis - but the writing’s on the wall, as more and more research seems to suggest that cannabis has the potential to transform the lives of neurodivergent people.

This summary was generated by Smmry