'Cannabis Club': New spaces designated for medicinal cannabis in Channel Islands

  • ITV Channel reporter Matthew Leach had a look inside Guernsey's 'cannabis club'.

Within the last five years, the use of medicinal cannabis within the Channel Islands has increased, which has led to spaces opening up for people to use it in a social setting.

In Guernsey, the latest statistics have revealed there were 17,000 prescriptions issued last year, compared to 12,000 the year before.

The Green Retreat is Guernsey's first 'cannabis club' and has had a successful first year, allowing islanders to use medicinal cannabis in a shared social setting.

However, upon entry, islanders need to provide proof of their prescription, a form of ID, and that they are 18.

There is no charge for people to enter the lounge, but instead, bosses wanted to create a welcoming environment for consumption.

It is the first of its kind on the island.

There is a similar business operating in Jersey, both of them have to self-regulate, abiding by strict restrictions only allowing those with prescriptions to come in.

Green Retreat's Bruce Caruso says he has created a space where people can use their prescription responsibly. Credit: ITV Channel

Founder of The Green Retreat, Bruce Caruso says: "What I am doing is providing a space for people to come and feel safe using their medication responsibly and then returning to what it is that they were doing before coming here."

Vice President of Health and Social Care, Deputy Marc Leadbeater, says the island's approach to cannabis is evolving, she says: "You can tell it is changing.

"If you look at the public surveys there are thousands and thousands of people across Guernsey who use Cannabis regularly.

"There are about 1,500 to 2000 people who have cannabis prescriptions."

Medicinal cannabis was legalised on the island in 2019 but work is continuing to grow to decipher exactly what the health benefits are.

Dr Simon Erridge explains: "We have seen a real split between some of the conventional worries people have around cannabis and what we are seeing between some of the side effects patients of medicinal cannabis have.

The most common side effects are concentration impairment, fatigue, and dry mouth but these are usually mild to moderate.

Similar to Guernsey, The Vaporizer Hut in Jersey has a consumption area used as a social space for people to use medicinal cannabis.

It opened in December last year and is a consumption spot for medicinal use.

Islanders in Guernsey can expect a second business in future.

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