New research says people with depression would consider medical cannabis if readily available to them
Wellford Medical Clinics has revealed that fifty-six per cent of people who experience symptoms of depression would consider a prescription for medical cannabis, but they either don’t know that treatment is available, or where they can go to receive it.
Office of National Statistics data (2022) indicated that one in six adults (16%) had experienced moderate to severe depressive symptoms. It is estimated that over two million people are currently on waiting lists for NHS mental support in England alone, highlighting the need for a robust healthcare response to dealing with depression.
According to a study of 2,000 UK adults conducted by Wellford Medical Clinics, men who experience depression were more likely to consider medical cannabis to manage their symptoms (62%), compared to 53% of women.
The study revealed that those within the 18-34 age range were most likely to consider medical cannabis to manage their depression (66%), followed by those aged between 35-54 (54%) and then the over 55s (46%).
The research was commissioned by Wellford Medical Clinics, which legally prescribes medical cannabis for pain conditions, including chronic pain, arthritis, and neuropathic pain conditions. It was undertaken to assess people’s attitudes and perceptions of medical cannabis, which was legalized in 2018, with approved products available on prescription by the NHS but only for epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and the side effects of chemotherapy.
The list of conditions that medical cannabis can be prescribed for on the NHS has not changed since 2018. And there are currently no cannabis-based medicines licensed for the treatment of depression on the NHS, leaving millions of patients outside of the current NHS scope. Patients can, however, seek treatment from specialist clinicians who can prescribe medical cannabis for depression where clinically appropriate and in the best interest of the patient.
A German study has highlighted the positive impact of medical cannabis treatment on people with depression, where patients were asked to rate the severity of their depression on a scale of 0-10. Starting at 6.9, after twelve weeks of medical cannabis use to manage their condition, the average rate lowered to 4.1 points.
Of those surveyed as part of the Wellford research, nearly half of supporters of medical cannabis (48%) believe it can provide hope for people who have not responded to other therapies, and 35% are of the opinion that it’s time to re-evaluate societal attitudes to cannabis and recognize its therapeutic potential (35%). More than a quarter of people (27%) believe medical cannabis could reduce the strain on healthcare resources.
The research also indicated that many of those open to medical cannabis face barriers to accessing treatment. Twenty-nine per cent don’t know if it’s right for their condition and 26% say they cannot afford private treatment regardless.
Joshua Roberts, Chief Business Officer for Wellford says more needs to be done to help people with depression manage their condition: “Depression is an epidemic in the UK with around one in six adults in the UK experiencing depression in some form. It is essential that health service providers are given all the tools that they need so that they can help people with depression manage their symptoms. We urge regulators and industry bodies to remove the barriers and allow for medical cannabis to be covered and prescribed by the NHS, and used for a greater number of conditions – including depression. Research has shown the benefits that medical cannabis can provide for those suffering from depression, so we need to make it more readily available.”
Josh adds: “The main barrier to greater uptake of medical cannabis for appropriate conditions appears to be the lack of understanding about its availability. If patients with depression do not know that medical cannabis is available to them, as our research suggests, and healthcare professionals are not helping to make patients aware, then depression will continue to put a severe strain on an already overburdened NHS.”
