By Jonathan Bucks and Stephen Adams for The Mail on Sunday
Published: 00:25 GMT, 10 March 2019 | Updated: 00:25 GMT, 10 March 2019
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Britain’s first dedicated medical cannabis clinic has been accused by doctors of making unfounded claims for the drug’s pain-relieving qualities.
The private Medical Cannabis Clinic (MCC) opened in Manchester last week amid complaints that patients have been denied access to the drug by the NHS. Further branches are scheduled for Birmingham and London’s Harley Street.
The MCC website claims the drug can help with chronic pain, but guidelines issued by the Royal College of Physicians state ‘there is no robust evidence’ for such use.
Medical Cannabis Clinic (MCC) opened in Manchester last week amid complaints that patients have been denied access to the drug by the NHS
And yesterday Dr Barry Miller, dean of the Faculty of Pain Medicine, said: ‘We are aware that clinics are being established in the UK by companies with a direct financial interest in cannabinoids.
‘The faculty is deeply concerned by this development which appears in contrast to the very limited data available on the use of cannabinoids for pain management and that these clinics are being introduced before the findings of research being undertaken by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence are published.’
In a letter to The Times