Britain’s first legal prescription for medical marijuana since 1928 has been made but it will cost the patient ‘everything I have’.
Carly Barton, 32, has been using cannabis illegally to combat the constant pain she developed after having a stroke a decade ago.
As the former art lecturer went private she will have to pay £2,500 for three months supply due massive taxes on the import of cannabis.
Private pain specialist Dr David McDowell prescribed the drug and the Home Office will have to arrange its important from Holland and sanction delivery.
The law changed on November 1 after Home Secretary Sajid Javid sanctioned medical marijuana after several high profile cases of children, including Billy Caudlwell, suffering without their cannabis derived medicines which had been prescribed abroad.
Carly wanted to be the first to get a cannabis prescription so she could highlight the eye-watering costs and ensure the NHS prescribe it for free.
She said: ‘This is history. It’s the first prescription that was written since 1928.’
In a video she uploaded to the United Patients Alliance Facebook group, she added: ‘The only thing that works for me is cannabis, that is the reason why I can stand up.
‘The new system is just not working, and we will not stop until we get everyone who needs their medicine gets. The reason is the cost is so high is because of import fees.’
Miss Barton has been prescribed two grams of Bedrocan Flower a day. Bedrocan is a Dutch company which supplies five strains of cannabis to the Government and all pharmacies in Holland.
She added: ‘The product costs £6 gram and the rest is import fees, there are lots of small packages and they all get taxed individually.’
Unlike CBD oil based products the cannabis Carly has been prescribed will create a high as it has a 22 per cent THC content.
‘The Home Office have not come up with a way these products can get imported, each pharmacist have to get a importer, but no-one has been given a licence yet.
She added: ‘We are testing the system now, this is going to cost me everything I have but I if I can prove this medicine works and I need it on the NHS.
‘As of now, no NHS specialist has prescribed cannabis yet, so there is a two tier system where if you can afford it you can it privately, and if not, you will be a criminal if you get it from the black market.’
Miss Barton is carrying on the campaigning work by the parents of children such as Billy Cauldwell, 13, who suffers from epilepsy.
What is CBD oil?
Cannabidiol – CBD for short – is one of the most common compounds found in cannabis and hemp leaves
It works by binding to cell receptors in the body that effect everyday functions such as sleep and appetite, as well as pain and mood regulation
CBD has been used to treat epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and chronic pain
It is taken as oil that you drip under the tongue, but can also be consumed as gummies, or inhaled using a vape
It is not psychoactive, unlike the cannabis compound Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), so CBD does not produce the “high” associated with cannabis
CBD is legal to buy in the UK, but legal restrictions mean it is sold online as a food supplement, rather than a medicine
Research is ongoing, but more investment into clinical trials is needed to explore CBD’s full potential as a medicine.
Initial trials suggest CBD may be useful in helping people stop smoking, and even lessen withdrawal symptoms from painkiller addictions
CBD is used by sportsmen because of the effect it has on pain, inflammation and recovery
CBD is also being trialled for its use as a potential anti-cancer agent.
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