LEGALLY prescribed cannabis users will be protected from discrimination by Flintshire County Council – the first authority in Wales to make the move.
With only one abstention, Flintshire councillors overwhelmingly supported a notice of motion from Gwernaffield and Gwernymynydd councillor David Coggins Cogan to protect council tenants and employees who are legally prescribed cannabis for medical purposes.
The move will also empower council staff to deal appropriately with illegal cannabis use, by requiring people to present their prescription if they claim an exemption.
Cannabis Based Products for Medicinal Use or CBPMs are taken as a vapour through an inhaler device or as liquid drops, is described as a ‘medicine of last resort’ – prescribed by doctors when no other treatment works for a patient.
The notice of motion protects council employees and tenants who are prescribed medical cannabis from any discrimination based on their prescribed medication in line with the Equality Act. It also ensures that patients are protected to administer their medication indoors without having to use smoking areas to preserve their dignity.
Finally it commits the council to work with partners to improve awareness and training to ensure organisations including North Wales Police understand and acknowledge the protections in place.
“This is not about creating new rights,” said Cllr Coggins Cogan, who drafted the motion with support from Halkyn resident and CBPM patient David Case and Salford councillor Andrew Walters, who helped get a similar motion passed in Salford and is now a trustee of the CannCare patient advocacy group.
“These rights exist in law. It’s not about creating separate rooms in buildings. It is about creating safe indoor spaces through education, understanding and tolerance.
“This motions educates ourselves, our communities and our partner organisations about the stigma around a legally prescribed medication. It lets patients know that this authority, which is sometimes described as ‘pale, male and stale’, has their backs over something which can be seen as controversial.”
He added that one crucial function of the motion was to remove ambiguity over cannabis use. By protecting medical cannabis users the authority also empowers staff responding to complaints to act to prevent illegal cannabis use.
Anyone claiming a medical exemption will need to show evidence from their doctor when challenged to prove their use is legal.
Some councillors asked about the effect of second-hand smoking and the smell, but officers clarified that smoking cannabis remained illegal and only approved forms of CBPM would be covered by this.
Councillors showed strong support for the motion. Flint Coleshill and Trelawny Cllr Paul Cunningham and Queensferry and Sealand Cllr Dale Selvester both backing the proposal due to their personal health experiences – Cllr Cunningham as someone with a condition that may require CPBM treatment in future and Cllr Selvester after experiencing employment discrimination as a young man as a result of his diabetes.
“No-one should be deprived of getting or keeping a job due to a legal treatment they receive for their health condition,” said Cllr Selvester.
Raising the motion has already had an impact. In response to the notice of motion a senior member of North Wales Police wrote: “There is nothing within the notice of motion that causes me great concern but it has made me think about how we can educate our staff about CBPMs.
“I think it would be both fair and accurate to say that our exposure to CPBMs has thus far been limited so general awareness about their legality is likely limited.
“I will start a discussion with our controlled drugs liaison officer, to see what guidance and material may already be available to law enforcement agencies.”
In welcoming the proposals, Cllr Bill Crease expressed pride in the consensus Flintshire County Council had come to with regard such a sensitive matter while deputy leader Cllr Richard Jones said: “This is a great example of how local government should work.”
