What is the Cancard medical cannabis card?
Cancard is a card that aims to protect those using cannabis for medicinal purposes by providing a way to validate to the police, or any third party, that this person is consuming cannabis for medical reasons. With medical cannabis use increasing in the UK and Europe, this card is a pivotal moment for thousands of patients all over the country.
“Despite cannabis medicines becoming legal in 2018 in the UK, patients unable to afford a costly prescription are stuck in limbo. Cancard aims to bridge the gap between patients, doctors, and the police. The card allows for the police to exercise discretion by understanding that the patient caught in possession is medicating for their condition”
Cancard was founded by Carly Barton, a medical cannabis patient herself. Carly and Cancard have been backed by a team of police and supported by MPs in order to give patients the support and reassurance they need.
“Cancard ensures that these people do not have to suffer the additional burden of fear or anxiety of facing criminal charges for simply treating themselves with a medicine that they have found effective. Fortunately, there are now a growing number of GPs who are recognising the value of cannabis for therapeutic purposes and are supportive of their patients who choose this alternative treatment pathway.”
Any patient that has a health condition for which they could receive a private medical prescription is eligible for the card. The card costs just £19.99 per year, and a further one-off admin fee of £10 in order to pass the ID check.
Founder of Cancard
The founder, Carly Barton is one of the leading medical cannabis activists in the UK. With a creative background that includes exhibiting at the Tate and the Saatchi gallery, she had to give up her role due to her health conditions. Having used a variety of conventional medicines, she found Medical Cannabis to be a more effective substitute for Opioids to treat her Fibromyalgia and post-stroke Neuropathy.
When Medical Cannabis was made legal in 2018, Carly was the first person in the UK to receive a private prescription for herbal Cannabis. Getting private prescriptions for medical cannabis in this way is expensive and can be too costly for some patients. So, alongside Cancard, Carly began working with the government and other organisations in order to progress NHS prescriptions.
Carly is creating a huge movement in the UK and all over the world to change the way people can access medical cannabis. Developing a system like Cancard is life-changing for thousands of people in the UK. It gives the police officers vital information which they can use when they have to make decisions on the street, ensuring that patients in need of medical cannabis don’t get charged.