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WQ.139/2022
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SECURITY BY DEPUTY M. TADIER OF ST. BRELADE
QUESTION SUBMITTED ON TUESDAY 19th APRIL 2022 ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 26th APRIL 2022
Question
“Will the Minister state what work, if any, is being undertaken to understand the ability or otherwise of patients who are prescribed medicinal cannabis to meet the costs of their medication (including G.S.T.); and will she explain what steps are being considered, if any, to make prescribed medicinal cannabis products free to patients?”
Answer
The Government does not hold information on the nature, volume or cost of private prescriptions and prescribers and dispensers have no obligation to share such information with government, or information regarding patients or collect information on their patient’s income. Given these barriers and noting cannabis based medicines are yet to be licenced and approved by NICE for wider use in primary care, the Minister is not currently considering including medicinal cannabis on the Health Insurance Fund prescribed list.
Medicines are added to the Prescribed list following a recommendation from the Pharmaceutical Benefit Advisory Committee which is made up of representatives from Primary Care and other health care professionals. The Committee has not received an application to consider the addition of cannabis based medicines, therefore it remains a private rather than publicly funded prescription in the community.
Medicines on the ‘Prescribed List’ in Jersey are freely available when prescribed by an approved community prescriber, usually being a GP, Dentist or Prescribing Nurse. Unlike England there is no prescription fee (in England this is currently £9.35 per item).
More specialist medicines are prescribed by specialist doctors through the secondary care system, which falls outside the remit of the Minister for Social Security.
The use of cannabis based medicines is a new and evolving area and it would be appropriate for the next Minister for Social Security to keep this area under review and to liaise with the Minister for Health and Social Services regarding appropriate prescribing authority and practice.