The impact of medicinal cannabis on mental health patients is set to be formally monitored amid concerns about the drug’s detrimental impact on those with pre-existing psychiatric conditions.
A report presented at this week’s meeting of the Health Advisory Board said: “There is a notable increase in the use of medicinal cannabis, particularly in private prescriptions, which impacts the quality of care in other departments, especially mental health.”
Mental health director Andy Weir warned that an increasing number of patients with pre-existing mental health conditions are being prescribed large amounts of cannabis.
Speaking to Express, Mr Weir said that this may “deteriorate their mental health or impact on current treatment” – and confirmed that work to formally monitor these trends has commenced.
Last year, an inquest concluded that the medicinal cannabis prescription of an islander who took her own life “more likely than not affected her mental health adversely”.
Rebecca Louise Vibert (46) was found dead in her home in March 2023 after struggles with mental illness, bi-polar and anxiety.
In May 2024, the mental health service said it was reviewing the “issues” raised by the inquest into her death.
It came just two months after an audit of the number of medicinal cannabis prescriptions dispensed in Jersey revealed a “significant” difference in prescribing levels between Jersey and England – with 6% of the island’s working population holding a prescription of medicinal cannabis, compared to just 0.05% in England.
It also emerged that some patients had been receiving prescriptions from two or more prescribers in the same month for amounts that “could reasonably be assumed to be for more than one month’s supply”.
The results of the audit sparked alarm in Government, with Ministers with political responsibility for medicinal cannabis immediately announcing plans to take action.
Environment Minister Steve Luce, who is responsible for regulation, last year said work to develop legislation to regulate and inspect cannabis clinics had commenced.
However, he confirmed the new policy is not expected to be ready for debate in the States Assembly until 2026.
Ministers are also considering proposals to allow personal possession and recreational use of cannabis after States Members narrowly rejected decriminalising the drug last year.
Politicians instead asked Ministers to come back with proposals to relax the laws that restrict its use.