When Might You Need a Cannabis Lawyer for Medical Cannabis Issues?

[najayiv]

Hi everyone,

I know this forum focuses on medical cannabis access and patient support, but I’m curious if any patients here have ever needed legal help related to cannabis prescriptions or compliance.

For example, have you dealt with employment issues, driving limits, landlord problems, or disputes with clinics or insurers that required a cannabis law specialist rather than general advice?

What did the lawyer help with, and was it worth the cost?

I’d really appreciate hearing real experiences or recommendations on when legal support becomes necessary for medical cannabis patients.

 

[najayiv]

Hi everyone,

I know this forum focuses on medical cannabis access and patient support, but I’m curious if any patients here have ever needed legal help related to cannabis prescriptions or compliance.

For example, have you dealt with employment issues, driving limits, landlord problems, or disputes with clinics or insurers that required a cannabis law specialist rather than general advice?

What did the lawyer help with, and was it worth the cost?

I’d really appreciate hearing real experiences or recommendations on when legal support from a Cannabis lawyer in Canada becomes necessary for medical cannabis patients.

thanks in advance for any help

 

[GreenRed]

This is a very good question, but is "cannabis specialist lawyer" even a thing in the UK yet?

 

[joint_account]

Hi everyone,

I know this forum focuses on medical cannabis access and patient support, but I’m curious if any patients here have ever needed legal help related to cannabis prescriptions or compliance.

For example, have you dealt with employment issues, driving limits, landlord problems, or disputes with clinics or insurers that required a cannabis law specialist rather than general advice?

What did the lawyer help with, and was it worth the cost?

I’d really appreciate hearing real experiences or recommendations on when legal support becomes necessary for medical cannabis patients.

I think most people tend to fall back on their clinic and patient advocate services like CannCare

 

[acidliam]

This is a very good question, but is "cannabis specialist lawyer" even a thing in the UK yet?

There are a few, yes.

 

[GM11]

In England I think NK Law do a no win no fee, if your into watching auditor videos they get mentioned a lot.
Seems really successful at getting money out of the old bill when they step over the line.

I'm in Scotland (although English), and it's very different here! a mate was caught with 3g and was done with intent to supply, first offence and got 2 years....

 

[Muiredach]

This is a very good question, but is "cannabis specialist lawyer" even a thing in the UK yet?

Our own solicitor calls himself a 'cannabis regulation specialist', and infact just launching a discrimination support service with others on the link below.

Medical Cannabis Support In The UK | Patient Protect

Patient Protect offers dedicated support for medical cannabis patients facing discrimination in the UK. Trust our expert guidance today.

www.patientprotect.co.uk

If any patients do experience issues, please be sure to contact them. The service is only just launching properly, and we're looking at ways we can better support and highlight their work here.

I'm in Scotland (although English), and it's very different here! a mate was caught with 3g and was done with intent to supply, first offence and got 2 years....

By comparison, down here in Northants - a neighbour was growing three plants and wasn't even arrested, though they did take them away.

Scotland seems to have his weird dichotomy when it comes to drug enforcement, on one-hand their sentencing is worse, on the other hand, they sanction "harm reduction" drug-use centres.

 

[GM11]

Yes Scotland has a odd legal system, for some background.......
My background and PhD is in Toxicology, I've worked at a high level for a major pharmaceutical company, I then did a stint as special adviser to a previous Drug & Alcohol Minister in Scotland.

I now work for and founded a drug and alcohol recovery charity (poacher turned gamekeeper), on the surface it seems Scotland has a progressive attitude to drugs and alcohol, however this doesn't actually happen in practice.

For example we have something enshrined in Law called the M.A.T standards (Medically Assisted Treatment), it gives Drug addicts and alcoholics rights under Scottish Law, such as the right to start treatment within 24hrs of asking for it.

There are 10 standards, and on the surface they sound absolutely brilliant and they are the law, however......the reality is there is a get out clause in the actual bill (in the small print!!), which states....."not all services may be available in all areas", this single line of text makes the entire Act worthless, it's something I battle against every day.


Anyway... regarding the law up here, there are 39 Sheriffdoms spread over 6 Regions, a sheriff is like the English equivalent of a Super Magistrate crossed with a crown court judge.
So effectively they are God in there region! The only higher authority would be a full high court Judge (the high court is kind of equivalent to a Crown Court in England).

So depending on which Sheriffdom you are in, dictates the sentence your likely to get. I do a lot of Court advocacy as part of my job now, in my local court the sheriff is MAJOR anti drugs, time and again I have seen the Court hand out sentences above the guidelines for drug offences.

In the 2 year example I gave, the guidelines say my friend at worst should of got a level 2 fine (£300-£750). The reason solicitors don't challenge it is simple, the same solicitors deal with the same Sheriff day in, day out.

It isn't in their, or their clients interest to piss him off, so what I advise people now, is to privately pay for a Solicitor outside of our County. Which most can't afford.

Locally it is well known that certain types of the most horrific crime (I don't need to spell it out hopefully) are treated ridiculously leniently!! I have been in Court waiting for my clients case on several occasions, and seen sentences for certain types of images get away with community service and sign the register for sex offenders, twice these have been for second or third offences!!

Very few Solicitors are prepared to really stand up for Clients, Glasgow is actually one of the few fairly good Sheriffdoms for Drugs and Alcohol, except for Drink Driving, All of Scotland is rightly brutal on drink driving.

That's obviously my own personal perspective and a lot of experience helping others in court. Interestingly, most local Solicitors hate me advocating in court! Mainly because I don't tow the line they want.

Moving up here was a real eye opener on the difference between the legal systems in the UK, Wales follows England and I don't have any experience of NI, so can't comment on that.

 

[ChroniclyChronic]

This is a very good question, but is "cannabis specialist lawyer" even a thing in the UK yet?

with about 500,000 Prescribed and folk legally in the dark ages I reckon an enterprising Lawyer will soon see the potential for business.

 

[GreenRed]

with about 500,000 Prescribed and folk legally in the dark ages I reckon an enterprising Lawyer will soon see the potential for business.

As far as I know, it's about 90k-100k prescribed currently, but still!

 

[ChroniclyChronic]

I think I'm getting prescriptions issued confused with actual patient numbers. Thanks for correcting me and putting me right

 

[GreenRed]

I think I'm getting prescriptions issued confused with actual patient numbers. Thanks for correcting me and putting me right

ah ok, I think patient wise there's a lot more tho I read 1.6 million some time?

 

[Hazy-Haze]

I'm fully expecting issues when i go back to work in April. For me a lot depends on the employer. American based companies drug test routinely and while I am legally allowed I know from past experience, even in the UK they aren't afraid to wrap someone up in a legal fight with the knowledge that most people can't compete against a very well funded legal department. Same with a few other companies in the sector I will be working at. Some because of accidents, other because they can.

Will I use a lawyer, probably not. I pick my fights and avoid ones I have no hope of winning. Time is a precious commodity and as much as people say there are no jobs at the minute, their are many in the field I play in.