Illegal cannabis sales via unregulated online retailers have proliferated in the UK, and in some cases this exposes buyers to harmful substances according to a new report.
Medical cannabis has been legal in the UK since November 2018, but prescriptions can only be issued by a specialist doctor with relevant expertise on the GMC register, and when agreed upon by a multidisciplinary team observing all existing protocols for controlled drugs. And cannabis-based medicine can only be prescribed on the NHS (i.e. subsidised) by a specialist hospital doctor, or one under a specialist’s supervision. Even the NHS says:
“Very few people in England are likely to get an NHS prescription for medical cannabis.”
A new report from cannabis company Curaleaf International, which was developed in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University, claims illegal online cannabis sales have risen by 50% in the past two years. That figure is for “open” and “dark” web sales. For open web purchases alone, the increase has been 67%.
Curaleaf says the increase is being primarily driven by consumers buying illegal cannabis to manage health conditions. 73% of online purchasers are seeking cannabis for relief from conditions including chronic pain, insomnia, and anxiety.
Aside from the illegality of the practice, there are also issues concerning the quality of such products.
“Our research has found alarmingly high levels of contamination in illegal cannabis, putting consumers’ health at serious risk,” said Juan Martinez, Head of Curaleaf International.
Contaminants include substances such as mould, lead, and synthetic cannabinoids. Surprisingly, 17% of cannabis consumers believe illegal cannabis is safer than regulated medical cannabis or don’t know the difference.
Curaleaf has called on the UK Government to tighten regulation of illegal sales, implement policies to improve patient access, provide more public education and support more medical cannabis research.
Curaleaf Chairman and CEO Boris Jordan said the issues facing the UK were by no means confined to that jurisdiction.
“Similar testing done previously in the US found contaminated products in illegal dispensaries, and this is an issue that weighs on all of us in the industry,” he said “Lawmakers around the world must act now to enforce laws against the illicit market and widen access to legal, regulated cannabis products.”
It’s certainly in Curaleaf’s interests that this happens – it has a clinic, pharmacy, and laboratory in the UK; cultivation and processing facilities in Portugal; a processing, quality assurance and research site in Spain; is a wholesaler and distributor in Germany; has a Polish wholesaler, and a producer in Canada.
But the issue is real – and consumer safety aside, companies playing by the rules have many more expenses than vendors who don’t.
The full report, The Hidden Dangers of Illicit Cannabis, can be accessed here.
