Prescribing of Medicinal Cannabis

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) consulted local Isle of Man residents on the medicinal use of cannabis to give them an opportunity to express their views on how medicinal cannabis could be made available on the Isle of Man.

Medicinal cannabis is cannabis consumed with the objective of reducing symptoms of a medical condition. This differs from recreational use where the purpose is to achieve a sensation of euphoria or relaxation, often referred to as a ‘high’.

On 1 November 2018, the scheduling of cannabis based medicinal products under the Misuse of Drugs Legislation changed.  As a result of the application of earlier legislation in the Isle of Man, the Statutory Instrument that made this change in England, Wales and Scotland also applied in the Isle of Man.  The law in the United Kingdom (UK) changed to allow medicinal cannabis to be used in very limited circumstances and this change affected our law too.   In the Isle of Man, we have the opportunity to consider whether we want our approach to medicinal cannabis to remain in line with the UK, or whether we take an alternative approach

We received 3,285 responses from Isle of Man residents and local organisations (99% from individuals).

Only 0.8% of respondents were NOT in favour of the introduction of medicinal cannabis

The majority of respondents that were in favour would like to see it offered as a quality assured product direct to the public for self-medication through accredited dispensaries (option D) or as a framework similar to the Netherlands (option C)

62% were in favour of restricting access to adults over the age of 18

95% would support the cultivation and manufacture of medicinal products in the Isle of Man subject to a suitable regulatory framework.

Please see full report for more detailed analysis.

Analysed responses will now be made available to politicians to consider next steps.