I have a dear friend's mom who is dying in Biringham and he is going home to see her. Does anyone know the system in England and whether doctors will give medical maijuana to patients to help them eat, gain wait, relax, sleep better throughout the night? If you have any advice he leave s this week. Thanks so much!
Medical Marijuana In Birningham Englad - CLL Support
Medical Marijuana In Birningham Englad
As far as I am aware, this is not an option under the UK law / health system. A great shame as I have seen the benefits of this thirty years ago when my wifes mother was dying of colon cancer and secondaries. It did nothing to prolong her life but, at a time when the doctors had run out of pills to prescribe, it reduced nausea, allowed her to eat, and did help her mental wellbeing during the last few weeks.
This may be helpful to you:
Technically I believe a GP/pain clinician/consultant can prescribe Sativex, which is a medical grade cannabis oil. In reality they don't due to the very high costs of this product, the NHS cannot bear the cost vs the prescription charge made.
Cannabis is commonly available illegally in most towns and cities which makes it relatively easy to make an illegal purchase if that's what your friend chose to do. Most constabularies are sympathetic to cannabis use for medical purposes and would only offer a caution rather than a prosecution if an individual was apprehended with a small amount.
One thing the NHS does have is excellent palliative care and MacMillan nurses trained to make end of life care as comfortable and pain free as possible. I would advise your friend discusses his mothers case with the care providers and asks for help. He may find she already has a care plan to manage her pain.