Whilst cannabis has some exceedingly small therapeutic capacities, their limit and efficacy too are small, with only really two to three approved medicines in play, which include Sativex ® and Epidiolex ®. However, that has not stopped the pro-pot, addiction for profit industry misusing medical phraseology to promote their products, regardless of detrimental impact or simple placebo pass offs.

One health peak body is publicly calling out the pro-pot industries propaganda messaging and ensuring the misleading medical meme of ‘medical marijuana’ isn't entrenched in the public psyche. The Dalgarno Institute have consistently challenged this narrative for over 5 years.  

At least one national peak medical body has taken deliberate and necessary steps to address that marketing manipulationThe College of Psychiatrists Ireland.

The following is a letter to the editor titled, Cannabis and public health—a need to reclaim the narrative, published in Irish Journal of Medical Science on 24th February this year.

The Department of Health recently produced guidance for doctors in which the terms “medical cannabis” and “medicinal cannabis” were appropriately and carefully avoided. However, when launching the program for the public, the Department of Health opted to call it the Medical Cannabis Access Programme which erroneously promotes the idea of cannabis as a medicine. The Department of Health has now set the precedent where politicians largely bypass the Health Product Regulatory Authority in determining what is and what is not a medicine. This is a slippery slope to legalization, as those with non-qualifying conditions, especially chronic pain, will insist that they too are added. Despite the lack of scientific evidence for efficacy, chronic pain is by far the most common reason for dispensing of cannabis-based products in other countries.

The letter outlined, again what all objective science and best practice adhering agencies embrace; that medicine cannot be ‘voted for’ alone. Robust research and thorough and exhaustive clinical trials must inform legislation and prescription around drug use, not emotionally and/or market manipulated political sentiment.

Words matter, and marketers know this – not least the addiction for profit cannabis industry. As far back as 1993, the agenda of using ‘medical marijuana’ was set in motion to ‘convince’ the public that this substance was not only ‘relatively harmless’, but potentially ‘good for you.’

Important to mention also, it is not just Irish Psychiatry that are calling for the upholding of right standards and best-practice, other international peak bodies have been challenging this fallacious narrative of the ‘medical marijuana’. The International Academy on the Science & Impact of Cannabis continue bring science and fact to the table, along with another international peak body and academic Think Tank, The Society for Prevention Research  have joined a growing chorus of concerned scientists, doctors, and researchers challenging not only the over-reaching claims of the industry, but this disturbing process of community misleading manipulation.

Of course, as a significant part of the Dalgarno Institutes education, advocacy, and resourcing mission, we continue to seek to inform the public about the facts being ‘buried’ by pop-culture manipulated and relentless evidence excluding marketing. You will continue to find news and research on Cannabis as Medicine? Along with Cannabis Conundrum and Cannabis Conundrum Continues.

Yours in Better Health and Well-Being, Dalgarno Institute