Concern over high levels of medicinal cannabis being prescribed in Jersey

Concerns have been raised after medicinal cannabis prescription rates in Jersey were found to be 120 times higher than in England.

Jersey's Health Minister Tom Binet and Environment Minister Steve Luce say they plan to introduce new regulations to address the issue.

It comes after an audit revealed the difference between Jersey and England and suggested amounts may not align with NICE or NHS guidelines.

Minister Tom Binet says: "We will have to do something to tidy it up a little and be more sure about how much is being prescribed and how people use it."

The audit revealed that 6.08% of Jersey's working population has a prescription for medicinal cannabis, compared to 0.05% in England.

The audit suggests that some people may have gone against the guidelines by receiving more than they were prescribed monthly.

In response, Deputy Steve Luce, Minister for the Environment said: “The differences in the levels of prescribing of medicinal cannabis that is taking place in Jersey when compared with England is significant.

"The audit also suggests that some people are receiving multiple prescriptions at levels which may be harmful to their health, this is of significant concern. I am committed to developing the legislation necessary to regulate and inspect cannabis clinics in Jersey.”

Deputy Tom Binet added: "In addition to the regulation of cannabis clinics, we need to facilitate the sharing of accurate, timely information to aid cannabis clinics in their prescription decisions and to ensure that patients’ GPs have access to necessary information.”