In a mailing to all UK registered doctors the GMC have stated “Doctors should listen to patients and respect their views” the GMC have also said doctors are to “make sure that personal beliefs do not prejudice your patient’s care”

For attention of the Practice Manager and General Practitioners

Bud Buddies is a medical marijuana co-operative (mmco).

Dr O’Shaugnessy introduced cannabis to UK medicine in 1839, it could legally be prescribed until 1973.

Some of your patients will be using cannabis, as they have found that allopathic regimes are no longer effectively treating their condition.

Our concerns are the low quality of cannabis available to patients and the inherent danger in purchasing cannabis from dealers. Bud Buddies (mmco) was created in 2001 to address these serious issues.

The majority of medicinal cannabis users will be self-medicating with a polluted type of cannabis known as Resin (aka Soap or Soapbar). This substance contains only 5% to 8% actual cannabis; the remainder is plastic (used for binding), henna or coffee (for colouring), diesel (for oily appearance), ketamine, and other carcinogenic causing agents. As a harm reduction measure, if you are aware of a patient using cannabis, please discuss the type of cannabis and method of administration.

Membership of Bud Buddies is dependant on confirmation of illness from a GP. (A sample of the membership form is enclosed for information purposes)

We provide cannabis in natural form (bud, i.e. female flowers). Cannabis is also available in capsules, chocolate and as a topical medicine in cream form. Many arthritis suffers and patients with skin complaints report remarkable beneficial results from the use of the cannabis cream.

Bud Buddies also offers advice on medicinal cannabis use, side effects, harm-reduction, the legal position and on cannabis interaction with other drugs. For example, as a harm reduction strategy we recommend ingesting cannabis as an alternative to smoking. As Doctors you are well aware of the health risks associated with smoking. Also, when smoked 50% of the cannabis contained in a joint is destroyed in the burning process, this is a very inefficient method of delivery. When ingested (e.g. in food or capsule form) the material is converted into 11-hydroxy-THC a metabolite that is four to five times more potent than tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). 11-hydroxy-THC is not produced when cannabis is smoked.

Bud Buddies makes NO charge for services or medicinal cannabis, we rely on donations to continue our efforts

Cannabis is still illegal in the UK; Bud Buddies are actively campaigning for a compassionate change in the law to allow medicinal cannabis use.

NOTE: Unlicensed Drugs can still be prescribed to individual patients by the GP. Unlicensed Drugs are usually only prescribed as part of a clinical trial. However under the Medicines Act 1968 allows clinicians to prescribed unlicenced Drugs, if they consider this to be the most appropiate treatment for an individual patient. This is refered to as "a named patient use" and the patients wellbeing is the responsibility of the prescriber.' (Dept of Health)