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Campaigns for the legalization of cannabis in the UK have been occurring for decades. Recent events in the US regarding marijuana use have given hope to many in the UK that its legalization may be happening soon.
“Soon” could really mean any day now due to examinations by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which has tested and studied cannabidiol (CBD – a substance found in cannabis). The agency has deduced that all products containing CBD will be catalogued as medications from now on. The director of inspection and enforcement at the MHRA, Gerald Heddel, had this to say:
“The change really came about with us offering an opinion that CBD is in fact a medicine. That opinion was because people were making quite stark claims about serious diseases that could be treated with CBD.
The review of the evidence showed that it was clear that people are using this product with the understandable belief that it will actually help.”
However, do not get too excited just yet. This does not automatically mean cannabis as a whole will be considered a medicine too. There are two key components in cannabis: CBD and THC. CBD has the ability to relax and calm someone whereas THC makes a person stoned, paranoid, and anxious. This is why the recent ruling only applies to CBD so far and not wholly cannabis.
The ruling, in fact, may be worse for those currently taking CBDs in order to relax. This is because the market for CBDs – on their own in other substances, not weed – was uncontrolled. People easily bought them online. However, now companies will be expected to meet quality, safety, and effectiveness standards before selling them. The standards will be beneficial long term, but in the short run, current CBD users may find it hard getting the substance.
But for those who smoke weed, this may very well be a preview of what is to come. The new classification of CBDs as medicines could potentially turn into the full legalization of marijuana at some point down the road. Fingers crossed!
Want more information about marijuana in the UK? Here is a review of the region’s first medical marijuana.
