A BAN on advertising medicinal cannabis in Jersey is in the final stages of law drafting.
It comes as the government prepares to crack down on what senior health officials have described as a poorly regulated medicinal cannabis system that risks patient safety and contributes to a “black market in prescription drugs”.
The Health and Care Jersey Advisory Board – which oversees the work of the Island’s health department – confirmed ahead of its public meeting today that a new Draft Order is being developed to replace the Medicines (Advertising) (Jersey) Order 2000.
Set out in the Chief Officer’s report by Tom Walker, the revised law will bring advertising standards in Jersey in line with the UK’s Human Medicines Regulations 2012 and, most significantly, will prohibit any advertisement “that is likely to lead to the use of a prescription-only medicine”.
The draft is now in its final stages, and Mr Walker confirmed that stakeholders will be provided with an update in “due course” to ensure advertising material can be removed or adjusted before the Order is enacted.
The move follows mounting concern from health leaders over how medicinal cannabis is being prescribed and consumed in Jersey.
In May, Mental Health Director Andy Weir told a political scrutiny panel that there was “anecdotal evidence” from service users suggesting “quite a lot” of prescribed cannabis is being sold in Jersey.
He said there had been a “significant increase” in patients requiring acute mental health admissions, particularly those using large quantities of prescribed cannabis.
He added that people with serious mental illnesses, such as psychosis, were becoming more unwell because they were using cannabis instead of their prescribed medication.
Health Minister Tom Binet echoed these concerns, suggesting the Island may have acted too quickly in legalising medicinal cannabis without ensuring sufficient regulation was in place.
Plans to prohibit the advertising of prescribed medicines – including medicinal cannabis – were also announced at the May Scrutiny hearing.
Ruth Johnson, Director of Health Policy, explained: “We’re currently working on an advertising order which will prohibit the advertising of prescribed medicines.
“When you arrive at Jersey Airport at the moment, you see big adverts for medicinal cannabis.
“Once the advertising order is made, these will no longer be legal.”
