Region to get first dedicated cannabis clinic
Dr William Parkyn is the lead doctor at the region’s first dedicated cannabis clinic. Photo: Kate Russell.
Increasing demand for medicinal cannabis in the region has seen the opening of a dedicated cannabis prescription clinic in Richmond.
Cannabis Clinic already has two clinics in the North Island and also offers online consultations nationwide.
Lead doctor at the Richmond clinic, William Parkyn, says they are already seeing more than 250 patients in the Nelson Tasman region online, with a 57 per cent growth in patient numbers in the last six months.
The specialist general practitioner has been doing online consultations for nine months and says he is looking forward to offering a face-to-face service.
William decided to make the leap to this line of medicine last year after being a GP for most of his career.
“I had patients that would be using cannabis with great success for a variety of things, and then coming in asking me about medicinal cannabis. I was using it in some capacity in general practice and having good results.”
He says medicinal cannabis is proving to be “life-changing” for some people and can help with pain, stress, anxiety, sleep issues, and sometimes seizures, fibromyalgia, and long-Covid.
“I recently had a patient who had chronic pain for years and problems with sleep and using sleeping tablets and opioid medication. Now they are no longer using the medications and reporting that they’re having the best sleep that they’ve had in 20 years.”
Medical cannabis has been legal for GPs to prescribe since 2020, but it is not subsidised so can cost hundreds of dollars.
But William says for some people it is invaluable.
“There are people that haven’t been able to work because of their pain or their anxiety, so it’s well worth the investment for many.”
William says when people book an appointment, they’ll have a chat about what’s going on and then they have options of CBD or THC oils, which are used under the tongue, or some flower products.
He explains that we have what is called an ‘endocannabinoid system’ throughout our bodies.
“Its main role is maintaining homeostasis. If you’ve got something out of balance, your nervous system releases its own endocannabinoids and your body is always making them all the time, but they only last a short period of time.
“CBD decreases the speed you break them down and enhances your own endocannabinoid system, and THC activates those receptors.”
William says while there a still a lot of misconceptions about cannabis, it is slowly becoming more mainstream.
“It’s one of those taboo subjects, but now people can get it legally and know exactly what they are getting, the word is spreading.
“There’s a lot of people in their 60s through to their 90s who I’m seeing who have always been against recreational cannabis, but they are hearing through friends how helpful it is. I’m often hearing people say ‘Oh, my friend at the golf club has started using CBD and he’s saying it’s remarkable, so can I have a trial of it?’”
But William says he is seeing a “huge variety” of patients.
“From kids with significant autism up to palliative care patients.”
William believes medicinal cannabis will eventually become “another part of our health system”.
“There’s a good opportunity for people to have a conversation about the safest way of using it, because, like anything, you want to use it in the right way. There are a lot of people out there using cannabis in the dark and often going to extreme or dodgy lengths to get it. But this is a completely legal option.”