Cannabis legalization in Britain has seemingly progressed as of late, thanks to the first ever scheduled testing of a marijuana product by the National Health Service. The Independent reports that the product is a CBD vaporizer called MediPen.
The MediPen product has already been on sale for a year in Britain and has received positive reviews. Patients say they have used the MediPen vaporizer to relieve pain, as well as treat depression, anxiety and arthritis. This long-overdue testing by the NHS should help to progress cannabis medicine in the U.K. Research suggests that CBD can also be used as an effective anti-seizure, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-tumor, anti-psychotic and anti-anxiety medication. The cannabinoid could even be a powerful antioxidant.
The company is selling MediPen as being an easy-to-use, discreet and portable way to ingest CBD. According to their website, MediPen is also odorless and has a long battery life. The NHS will produce a detailed report that outlines MediPen’s testing process and methods of extraction. The report will also confirm purity and cannabinoid levels.
“Over the past year the MediPen has quickly become without a doubt one of the most highly-rated CBD products in the world,” MediPen managing director Jordan Owen said in an interview with The Independent. “We’ve recently been working very closely with a team of NHS production and regulatory support pharmacists who’ve been able to meticulously analyze our proprietary formulation for both safety and cannabinoid concentration.”
MediPen believes that their precedent for testing cannabis products with the NHS will open the door for many other such tests and have a positive impact on the public’s perception of medical cannabis.
“As the UK’s industry leading consumer cannabis Biotechnology Company, we’re excited to have set a new benchmark in providing a much-needed sense of legitimacy to the UK’s rapidly growing legal cannabis industry,” Owen continued. “After this testing by the NHS, we are confident that this will go a long way towards creating a properly regulated cannabis market in the UK.”
Whole plant medical cannabis is still illegal in the U.K. CBD oral spray is available through pharmacies, however, only for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. While it is only a small step in the right direction, this is very good news for patients in the U.K. who could benefit from the use of cannabis medicine. If these tests are successful, it could put some pressure on the slow-moving advancements in cannabis testing here in the U.S.
