Why Skunk: The Documentary?

After over a decade of fighting for medical cannabis legalisation, I am now prescribed Skunk. Since 2018, cannabis has been legal on prescription, and we are entering into a new paradigm where individuals are being prescribed Skunk. As a veteran cannabis campaigner and MS patient, I want to use my legal Skunk prescription to challenge the public perception that Skunk is bad. There has been a lot of information regarding the negative effects of Skunk on mental health, and whilst my heart goes out to those who have faced challenges with this plant, these incidences do not reflect the whole picture, particularly when Skunk or high-THC cannabis has been and continues to be a beneficial medicine for so many people. We are right to have empathy for the individuals who have been through this, and they rightly deserve support and for their experience to not be ignored, which is why we must end prohibition. Prohibition is the only reason why all that is available on the street is high-THC cannabis, which isn’t right for everyone who wishes to use cannabis.

If you take the example of Amsterdam, there is a variety of traditional strains all the way from low-THC flower to traditional hash and other extracts, to high-THC flower in almost every coffeeshop. With education, this allows people to have the choice to consume weaker cannabis if they are not used to it or stronger strains with a higher THC content, which might be more suitable for those managing medical conditions. In the UK, we have almost an entirely self-sustaining cannabis economy on the illegal market. This market is being driven by high-THC strains of cannabis, due to increased demand from connoisseurs and illegal patients, many of whom require high doses of THC to manage a variety of conditions.

Since the end of 2018, cannabis-based medicinal products have been legal to prescribe in the UK, which now provides the opportunity for individuals to access the right kind of treatment for them. Previously it has been prohibitively expensive, but with costs now coming down and patients being enrolled in access schemes such as Project 2021, there is more opportunity for people to access cannabis medicines at a reduced cost, often comparatively cheaper than the illegal market. Despite being in its infancy, access to legal cannabis based medicinal products should hopefully ensure that people are not consuming something which is not right for them. This system is by no means perfect and it is important to recognise that the privatisation of these medicines will undoubtedly restrict younger consumers of cannabis who do not have the financial means to obtain a private prescription.

Skunk or high-THC cannabis is often blamed as being the cause of mental health issues, with a particular focus on schizophrenia and incidences of psychosis. Whilst the evidence is not clear either way, what is clear is that prohibition is not helping. I have met many people with pre-existing mental health conditions who use cannabis to manage their symptoms and whilst it is often thought that cannabis can exacerbate these issues, there are many individuals with mental health problems who benefit from using it. In most cases, Skunk is good for mental health. However, there are some people who should not use it and this can only be ensured through a regulated system which enables access to choice. There is a lot to be said for using CBD to mitigate some of the unwanted side-effects from using high-THC cannabis, however these products are not regulated, and it should not be the duty of the person consuming cannabis to find other products which would balance this out.

Now is the right time to challenge the Skunk misconceptions because the truth is there for everyone to see. Whether you dislike cannabis or gain benefit from it, there is no denying that prohibition has not worked. Terms like Skunk have only served to muddy the waters and now we have licensed producers selling strains which are a derivative of the strain Skunk #1 (and I haven’t GW Pharmaceuticals yet – we’ll leave that for another article!)

I am now prescribed Skunk by a pain specialist clinic which offers cannabis as part of its treatment plans. Skunk is my medicine and allows me to manage my pain consistently. Without it, I would not have the quality of life which I deserve, and I am very grateful to have access to high-THC cannabis. The term Skunk needs to be challenged as it has wrongly been used as a catch-all statement, meaning high-THC sinsemilla cannabis grown indoors. This is a gross over-simplification of a very nuanced and complex subject, which I hope to change through furthering education about medical cannabis.