A private medicinal cannabis clinic set to open in Birmingham - here’s why

The first bricks and mortar, medicinal cannabis clinic in Birmingham is set to open, providing a range of treatments that use the cannabidiols within the plants to aid treatment of a variety of ailments.

Elios Clinic is to be based on Highfield Road in Edgbaston, which is already home to a number of private medical clinics. The new clinic says it is the first of its kind in the region, and managers say it is being opened to meet the increasing demand for medicinal cannabis related treatments - since the plant extract was granted medicinal legality in November 2018.

At the end of 2019, there were less than 250 active medical cannabis users, by 2024 the number of users is expected to rise to approximately 500,000, all of whom can legally access medicinal cannabis products that are prescribed by their GP, or a private physician who has obtained the relevant license such as those at the Elios clinic. The clinic has stressed that all of the medication that will be used is fully legal and regulated.

The announcement comes as BirminghamWorld reported that hundreds of GP prescriptions for medical cannabis in Birmingham and Solihull have been made over the last five years. And charities urge for greater access to medical cannabis for those suffering from neurological and autoimmumie conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and chronic pain.

The use of medical cannabis within the UK is allowed, provided it is prescribed by a medical specialist who has taken into account the current evidence and guidelines alongside a patient’s diagnoses and conditions.

Elios, and other clinics, are governed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which monitors so that patients get the best care possible and in a safe and regulated way. The clinic, which is expecting a huge number of patients in their first year to cope with the demand in the market, will use a range of products supplied by The Armour Group - a specialist cannabis importer - alongside other products designed to treat a range of conditions such as forms of epilepsy and spasticity caused by MS (Multiple Sclerosis).

Dr Kam Lally, one of the co-founders of the private clinic, said of the opening, “We have been monitoring the medicinal cannabis market for a number of years and developing a series of robust and well researched supply chains to be able to deliver first class patient care and outcomes through the Elios clinic.

“With The Armour Group products, in conjunction with the newest technologies available to us, we seek to become the market leader in providing safe, effective treatments for a number of conditions that research has shown benefit when having elements of the cannabidiol extracts added into the mix.

“This is a huge opportunity for patients who don’t feel the benefits of more traditional and sometimes more dangerous treatments to try something else that might give them the quality of life that they are looking for.”

Speaking of the medicinal practices that the Elios clinic would be offering, their lead physician, Dr Attam Singh, added: “The endocannabinoid system in the human body has been known about for many years and we are now starting to understand far more about it since the legalisation of medicinal cannabis.

“We have been able to really get to grips with the various treatment options so that we can guide prospective patients through the process and offer them the support and encouragement that they need to begin to see a demonstrable difference in their health and well being. As the first clinic in the West Midlands we expect to see a large number of people benefit”.

Commenting on the process of the clinical approach, Mr Singh added: “It’s a very simple and easy procedure. Our patients firstly have a video or telephone consultation with one of our highly trained consultants to see if medicinal cannabis may be right for them and then we review all of the relevant factors and if our team feel that medicinal cannabis may be right for them then we invite them into the clinic to discuss the options and potential outcomes. It’s all very simple and far quicker and more effective than waiting for an NHS appointment”.

Harmeet Singh Bharaj, CEO of The Armour Group, who will be one of the main suppliers of the Elios Clinic, added, “The Armour Group remains dedicated to providing superior medical cannabis products to patients and looks forward to what the future holds for the industry.

“Our first collaboration with a clinic such as Elios will allow us to prove that the demand for medicinal cannabis products is not only there but also growing at a rapid rate and the future is bright for those who can benefit from medicinal cannabis treatments.”