First UK national pilot study for medical cannabis launched

The UK’s first national pilot study for medicinal cannabis, called Project TWENTY21 was launched earlier this month. The study aims to enrol 20,000 patients into the pilot before the end of 2021.

The trial is being conducted by Drug Science, the UK’s leading independent scientific body on drugs. It will use real world data patient registry to asses efficacy, safety, quality-adjusted life year (QALYs) and patient-reported outcomes in those prescribed medical cannabis.

The medical cannabis will be studied on conditions including the following:

• Chronic pain
• PTSD, with a focus on the veteran community
• Multiple sclerosis
• Tourette’s syndrome
• Prison populations as a harm reduction strategy
• Cannabis use disorder and substance use disorder as a harm reduction strategy.

The data collected will be used to support applications to health authorities in the expectation that there will soon be a new regulatory system for medical cannabis in the UK.

The pilot scheme is part of the ongoing work of the Drug Science Cannabis Working Group, launched at the House of Lords earlier this year. The group is looking to develop approaches for improving patient access to medical cannabis in the UK.

Cannuba Ltd, a leading CBD and full spectrum cannabis oil brand, has announced their support for the pilot study.

“We are very excited to be working with Drug Science on of this potentially policy changing project,” said Rob James, CEO of Cannuba. “The study will be a great opportunity to collate scientific, tangible statistics for medical cannabis. It’s exciting to be at the forefront of meaningful scientific research taking place in the UK.”