Medical cannabis in the media: Our conversation with Media Storm Podcast
This week, CEO of Mamedica, Jon Robson joined professional footballer and Mamedica patient Stevo on the Media Storm Podcast where they were invited to speak to hosts Mathilda Mallinson and Helena Wadia about medical cannabis and the media in the UK.
The episode aimed to discuss and investigate medical cannabis and chronic pain, the lack of awareness surrounding it and how the media is contributing to certain mistruths.
Discussions on podcasts like Media Storm are crucial as they spread awareness of the benefits of medical cannabis and help to dispel common myths by providing commentary from patients about their experience with medical cannabis. We were delighted to have the opportunity to be at the forefront of this discussion, click here to listen to the episode.
The Mamedica Access Scheme
One topic discussed throughout the podcast was the misconception that medical cannabis can be seen as expensive; however, thanks to the Mamedica Access Scheme, medical cannabis can be made more accessible to all.
The Mamedica Access Scheme enables veterans and those on means-based benefits to use our service with a one-time fee of £200. This fee covers all consultations for as long as the patient remains a patient of ours.
If you’re wondering how to get started with medical cannabis treatment, Media Storm host Mathilda tried our eligibility form for herself, and demonstrated the steps Mamedica patients need to take when they first visit our website.
“Earlier this year, we launched the Mamedica Access Scheme for people who are on means-based benefits or are veterans. It essentially allows them to access our service for a one-off £200 fee, that covers the cost of all consultations for as long as the patient is a patient of ours.”
Jon Robson, CEO of Mamedica
Is medical cannabis a gateway drug? Let’s dispel this common myth:
Not only did this podcast episode provide an excellent discussion on medical cannabis but it also did a fantastic job of dissolving the stigmas and myths associated with cannabis. One mistruth they uncovered was that cannabis is a gateway drug, even though studies have proven that to be wrong. Mamedica patient and professional footballer Stevo emphasised this, stating medical cannabis is giving people a choice: “It really is a medicine”.
How does the media impact the way medical cannabis is perceived?
With stigma acting as a barrier to the accessibility of medical cannabis, the podcast delved into how the media impacts the way cannabis is perceived. Stevo states that since he posted about his journey with medical cannabis he has noticed that his platform seems to decline, “I get shadowbanned when I discuss medical cannabis”. He emphasises that after his and his mother’s experience with opioids, “I wanted to raise awareness on medical cannabis as an option, it may not work for you but here is another option”.
Soon after this, host Mathilda mentions researching cannabis in the news and found that most of the search words associated with cannabis were ‘gang’, ‘stash’, ‘cash’ and ‘raid’. This explicitly shows the stigma that still exists around using cannabis as a medical treatment, emphasising why we may sometimes see people like Stevo experiencing ‘shadowbanning’ on Instagram.
Instead of the media focusing on the immense benefit that cannabis can provide to those living with chronic pain that haven’t yet found a remedy that works for them, we are often fed negative connotations via the media.
This is why we feel so strongly about raising awareness of medical cannabis and dispelling the myths associated with it. Read our features in The Telegraph and the Evening Standard to get an insight into the discussions we’ve been having lately.
If the podcast resonated with you, here are your next steps
After this week’s podcast, we are looking forward to more opportunities where we can offer our insight into the benefits medical cannabis can have as well as offer a platform for our patients to share their experience.
If you’re currently living with chronic pain and have not found a remedy that works for you, check your eligibility for medical cannabis here.