Want the best Nottingham news by 9am every day? Sign up to our newsletter! Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A cannabis clinic has opened in Nottingham to support patients suffering with conditions like multiple sclerosis and arthritis.

The Medical Cannabis Clinic has opened on the NG2 Business Park, off Queen's Drive, offering what they describe as 'cannabis-based therapy.'

The clinic was set up for patients "struggling to access cannabis-based treatment via the NHS".

NHS patients clinically referred and funded are also able to attend and access treatment.

The clinic said there are are two main cannabis chemicals known to have the most medical benefit; THC and CBD.

Treatments which include the whole plant – a combination of THC and CBD – can have a better effect than just the individual components, benefiting many conditions, they said.

These include 'treatment-resistant' epilepsy and anxiety, Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, colitis and arthritis.

The clinic said it decided to open in Nottingham following a survey detailing how many people are using cannabis illegally in an attempt to treat conditions.

They said the "legal clinic is both necessary and overdue for patients and carers risking everything to get the medical cannabis treatment they need to make life with their conditions more manageable."

The Nottingham clinic will be offering cannabis-based therapies for patients who, after all first-line treatment options proved ineffective, have sought out medical cannabis treatment through a doctor or self-referral.

Speaking on the clinic opening, group managing director, Jonathan Nadler, said: "The Medical Cannabis Clinics are delighted to be opening a branch in Nottingham as we recognise the urgent need for effective therapeutic treatment options for patients suffering from chronic conditions in the area.

"Our doctors are not afraid to exercise their knowledge and expertise to write medical cannabis prescriptions for patients who need it, so we look forward to helping those who previously felt like they had no other treatment options available in Nottingham."

Professor Michael Barnes, clinical director, added: "Patients suffering from chronic pain and other serious neurological or psychiatric conditions have been crying out for this kind of life-changing treatment.

"These clinics will represent a lifeline to those who have found other treatments ineffective. This also brings the UK into line with other countries when it comes to pain management."