Cannabiz Issue 1

CATAGORY
OPINION
weed in their bedrooms heighten a
fear of the unknown. A lack of training
and knowledge makes many wary of
issuing prescriptions. Years of negative
propaganda taints their perspective,
making them reluctant to pursue the
latest research data.
The problem then is that while many
know and believe that cannabis has
a lot to offer the medical industry,
they remain unable to access it easily.
A fawning media industry peddling
miraculous cures and Lazarus tales
has only added to the allure of the
wellness industry, making the promise
of a remedy to their ailment appear
tantalisingly close.
The Centre for Medicinal Cannabis
predicts that the CBD market in the UK
could be worth a staggering £1 billion by
2025, a figure which is almost certainly
helped by an industry cashing in on
desperate people.
The CMC report also highlights the
worrying findings that more than half of
the popular CBD oils sold on the British
high street do not contain the level of
CBD promised on the label and that the
concentrations are so low as to render
them ineffective. Sugar pill products,
while certainly a thorn in the side of
a fledgling medical cannabis industry
striving to be taken seriously, are the
least of anyone’s worries.
Clinical Toxicology, a US-based journal
reported a disturbing case where one
family dosed their child with what they
thought was CBD oil but which turned
out to contain the synthetic cannabinoid
receptor agonist AB-Fubinaca – better
known as an ingredient in the synthetic
cannabis product “Spice”.
The psychoactive substance is banned
in numerous countries and can lead
to difficulty breathing, rapid heart
rate, severe panic attacks, numbness
in limbs, and nausea and if used for a
prolonged period – violent psychotic
episodes which can last for weeks.
Without proper regulation, situations
like this will almost certainly become a
regular occurrence. The truth is that
most countries are too bogged down
with specious moral arguments to
conduct proper research.
They thus find themselves unprepared
to deal with legislating the fastchanging
CBD and THC sectors. This
has resulted in millions of patients
stuck in a foggy limbo. Perhaps they
can have a cup of CBD-infused tea
whilst they wait.
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