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A medicinal cannabis clinic clampdown could be on the horizon after an audit revealed a "significant" difference in prescribing levels between Jersey and England – with 6% of the island's working population holding a prescription compared to just 0.05% over the water.
The Government said this afternoon that the audit also found evidence that some patients had been receiving prescriptions from two or more prescribers in the same month.
And some of those were for amounts that "could reasonably be assumed to be for more than one month's supply" – something in breach of NICE and NHS guidelines.
The results of the audit have sparked alarm in government, with Ministers with political responsibility for medicinal cannabis now seeking to take swift action.
Environment Minister Steve Luce, who is responsible for regulation, described the difference in prescribing levels between Jersey and the UK as "significant" and said that he was now "committed to developing the legislation necessary to regulate and inspect cannabis clinics in Jersey".
"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," he continued.
Health Minister Tom Binet, meanwhile, emphasised a need for better data sharing between prescribers.
"...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," he added.
While Ministers revealed some of the results this afternoon, the full audit is yet to be made public. Express has asked for a copy and is awaiting a response.
Officials said the audit was completed using monthly returns provided by pharmacists to the Chief Pharmacist during the 2022 and first half of 2023.
It only included information on private prescriptions of medicines not officially licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for the treatment of a particular health condition. It therefore does include data about cannabis-derived products, such as Sativex, Dronabinol, Epidiolex and Nabilone.
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