Home Affairs recently laid down the gauntlet – saying that Health and Social Care should start work to review Guernsey’s medicinal cannabis laws after the election.
Ahead of the election last week, the Committee for Home Affairs answered a series of Rule 14 questions posed by candidate Deputy Marc Leadbeater who was seeking re-election, along side current Home Affairs President, Deputy Rob Prow who was also a candidate.
Deputy Leadbeater is a member of HSC and a former member of Home Affairs. One of his questions was around the rules concerning prescribing medicinal cannabis.
He highlighted a loophole in the current law which effectively enables children to buy some medicinal cannabis products.
Home Affairs said the States decision to allow the private prescribing of medicinal cannabis in 2021 should now be reviewed.
It also said that that is a job for HSC.
Home Affairs said reviewing the current law could enhance and strengthen it.
“The Committee is of the view that the decision of the previous Assembly in relation to the
private prescribing of medical cannabis should be reviewed and it is within the gift of the
Committee for Health & Social Care to pursue this policy change.
“The Committee was fully supportive of the proposals in the report prepared by the Misuse
of Drugs Advisory Group. This work acknowledged that an appropriate governance framework to support the prescribing of medicinal cannabis was currently absent and made recommendations, to which the questioner has made reference, which would introduce the necessary rigor around private prescribing practices and ensure that there is data and evidence to inform future policy development. The Committee has already expressed its full support to the Committee for Health & Social Care to progressing this work.”
The medicinal use of cannabis was legalised in Guernsey in 2021. By the end of 2023, 13,000 people were receiving prescribed cannabis.
Deputy Leadbeater has long been a supporter of the relaxation of laws around cannabis.
Another of his questions focused on Home Affairs work around “the potential diversion of medicinal cannabis” – where people share prescriptions or sell it on to others who don’t have prescriptions.
He asked if the Committee agrees with his view, that its focus on a “non-fatal” substance has been “disproportionate”, whilst at the same time “paying little or no attention” to the diversion of other prescription medicines “that has caused so many unfortunate premature deaths”.
Home Affairs said it is “of the view that it has “not spent a disproportionate amount of time
considering the diversion of medical cannabis”.
Home Affairs also said that it has worked with Health and Social Care “to consider the issues raised by operational professionals working within both committees”.
It also said that “the misuse of any drug can have fatal consequences and causes harm within our community”.
Deputy Leadbeater was re-elected to the States for a third term last week, while Deputy Prow lost his seat after two terms in office.
The new Presidents of the Home Affairs and Health and Social Care Committees, and all other political committees will be elected during the first week in July.
Their committee members will be elected the following week.
