A WOMAN who was in so much pain she couldn't cuddle her kids said vaping cannabis has cured her symptoms and made her a "better mum". Jardine McMillan, 40, suffers from hypermobility syndrome for which she was prescribed painkiller pregabalin to manage the pain. She has also been diagnosed with lupus, IBS , and polycystic-ovary syndrome ( PCOS ).
The mum from Dunbartonshire, Scotland, took three a day for six years which she says left her "numb", "depressed" and still in pain. A friend recommended she try medical cannabis which she now vapes - two different types of flower, one each for day and night. While CBD-only products are legal and readily available in the UK, products containing THC are illegal unless prescribed via the NHS or private clinics.
Very few people are prescribed medical cannabis on the NHS in the UK - so she had to go private but now has a monthly prescription. She gets her prescription from the online clinic Alternaleaf, costing £260 per month. She uses a cannabis vape every couple of hours - saying while it helps her manage her pain, she doesn't use it enough to get high.
If I had known medical cannabis was legal in 2018, there's no way I would have gone on those strong painkillers Within 12 weeks she had stopped taking the prescribed painkillers and now says medicinal cannabis has helped her regain control of her life. NHS Online says "there is some evidence medicinal cannabis can help certain types of pain, though this evidence is not yet strong enoug.
