MEDICINAL cannabis clinics could soon be regulated by the Island’s independent healthcare watchdog, as part of a wider package of reforms to regulate health and care services in Jersey.
The government has indicated it will seek to make private cannabis clinics subject to inspection by the Jersey Care Commission (JCC) in the future.
These changes will place during the final phase of reforms to the Regulation of Care (Jersey) Law, which the government said is being rolled out in stages to avoid “overwhelming” both the regulator and service providers.
The JCC’s remit will this year be expanded to include hospital, ambulance and adult mental health services, whilst the final phase of the roll-out will seek to include oversight of cannabis clinics, adult social and community care services, and community medical and dental services.
The push for increased oversight of the cannabis industry follows calls from campaigners, clinicians and industry leaders for tighter regulation and the publication of an audit that revealed a “significant” difference in prescribing levels between Jersey and England.
It also found that some patients had received prescriptions from more than one doctor in the same month – in volumes that “could reasonably be assumed to be for more than one month’s supply.”
Speaking to the JEP earlier this month, Charlotte Caldwell – whose son’s case changed UK medical cannabis laws in 2018 – warned that recreational users getting hold of large volumes of cannabis through the medical market.
“Right now, it’s the wild west,” she said. “There’s prescribing going on with very little clinical oversight.”
Her comments followed earlier warnings from Health Minister Tom Binet and mental-health director Andy Weir, who both raised concerns about the way cannabis was currently being prescribed in Jersey and noted that medicinal cannabis was making its way into the black market.
Carpathia Clinic medical director Dr Kirstie Ross told the JEP she shared Ms Caldwell’s concerns and believed parts of the system were now fuelling the illegal market.
The proposal to increase oversight also comes just weeks after the Jersey Care Commission raised concerns about its financial future – warning that government cost-cutting initiatives could derail vital regulatory work.
While the JCC is an independent regulatory body – funded in part by fees collected from registered health and social care providers and professionals – a significant portion of its income is derived from government funding.
But the government’s current budget, which was approved last year, included a commitment to review grant-funded arm’s length organisations and States-funded regulatory bodies – with yearly savings targets of £1 million earmarked in 2025, 2026 and 2027.
The budget’s “ambitious savings targets” were acknowledged within the JCC’s annual report, which stated that this could have “implications for the Commission’s future resourcing”.
It warned that, as the Commission expands its regulatory responsibilities, its financial sustainability would continue to be “a critical consideration”.
“Insufficient funding or unexpected financial pressures could affect the ability to deliver key initiatives, invest in necessary resources, and maintain high regulatory standards,” it added.
What regulatory changes to health and care services have been made so far?
- The push to increase oversight involved a four-part expansion of the Regulation of Care Law.
- Regulation of care homes, home care and day services (Phase 1) was approved in 2019.
- In 2022, this was followed by social work and mental health services for children and young people (Phase 2).
- The third phase – which is due to be debated later this year – will expand the JCC’s remit to include hospital, ambulance and adult mental health services.
- The final phase will include oversight of cannabis clinics, adult social and community care services, and community medical and dental services.
- Currently, medicinal cannabis clinics must register as businesses and employ licensed doctors but they are not currently subject to inspections.
