Medical cannabis and HGV license

Hi guys

I have a medical cannabis prescription and legally use cannabis to help me relax. I only use it in the evenings after work so I won’t drive impaired.

Legally I am allowed to drive a car after consuming cannabis as long as I am not impaired but I would fail drug tests as it remains in your system for days after use.

I am unsure if I will be allowed to drive an HGV legally?

I am happy to discontinue use if I need to in order to pass the medical scheduled for 6 weeks time but after that I will need to continue medicating with cannabis and I’m hoping to find an employer who will be sympathetic to my medical needs. Do most employers or police perform random drug test? I don’t want to have the hassle of explaining my medical needs all the time. Not everyone is aware cannabis flowers are now a legally prescribed medication

I recently encountered a driver who had a prescription for cannabis. He also had a letter from his doctor stating he was ok to drive with it in his system as long as he was not above the prescribed limit.
Speak to your doctor about getting a prescription and a medical exemption certificate. Keep these with you, and limit your use, and you shouldn’t have any problems

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

Even if you did get the OK from your doctor you’ve still got to convince an employer to be happy with it.

Lets say you did find a sympathetic haulier, what would happen if you were involved in a crash where someone was seriously hurt or even died? When you’re in the dock all the jury is going to hear is that you were a regular cannabis user. A doctor’s letter and your boss’s complicity wouldn’t stop you going to jail for a big stretch and wouldn’t stop the boss getting a massive kicking from the TC

Sorry to rain on your parade but I can’t think of a single TM I know personally who would risk their O-licence and Good Repute to employ you, the risks for them are too high.

Zac_A:
Even if you did get the OK from your doctor you’ve still got to convince an employer to be happy with it.

Lets say you did find a sympathetic haulier, what would happen if you were involved in a crash where someone was seriously hurt or even died? When you’re in the dock all the jury is going to hear is that you were a regular cannabis user. A doctor’s letter and your boss’s complicity wouldn’t stop you going to jail for a big stretch and wouldn’t stop the boss getting a massive kicking from the TC

Sorry to rain on your parade but I can’t think of a single TM I know personally who would risk their O-licence and Good Repute to employ you, the risks for them are too high.

If it were to be properly prescribed, and used in accordance with the prescribed guidelines, then it is no different to any other form of medication.
The exemption certificate and prescription would explain any being in a person’s system in the event of an accident, so that wouldn’t be an issue as long as the driver wasn’t above the prescribed limit.
Also, the driver would have to provide these documents to his employer, so they can be passed on to their insurers, who inevitably will have the final say as to whether they will insure the driver or not.
As long as these bases are covered, I can’t see why a transport manager would not employ someone. In fact, refusing to on this basis alone could potentially fall under the description of discrimination due to medical reasons, which could open them up to a whole world of other problems.
Lots of drivers have prescriptions for all sorts of medications, to treat all sorts of ailments. As long as they are taken properly, the company is covered, if they are taken improperly, the driver is solely responsible.

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

Bob hope mate.

I think you’re going to struggle for on road use.

I imagine quarry work and off-road might be easier to sort out, perhaps shunting work or something?

I’m somewhat surprised you have a doctor that will prescribe cannabis as there was a young child with epilepsy and their parents were begging for a prescription as it was the only thing that helped the child- It went through the courts from memory and although legal to prescribe, no doctor in the land would prescribe it. I guess things have changed if you’ve managed to get a prescription

Hyh:
I think you’re going to struggle for on road use.

I imagine quarry work and off-road might be easier to sort out, perhaps shunting work or something?

I’m somewhat surprised you have a doctor that will prescribe cannabis as there was a young child with epilepsy and their parents were begging for a prescription as it was the only thing that helped the child- It went through the courts from memory and although legal to prescribe, no doctor in the land would prescribe it. I guess things have changed if you’ve managed to get a prescription

Yes that was the child that changed the law.

It’s come a long way since then. I think there are only a handful of people with NHS prescription. The rest of us use private prescriptions and you can now get cannabis subsidised so it works out at £150 for 30 grams.
drugscience.org.uk/project-twenty21/

CookieMonster:
I recently encountered a driver who had a prescription for cannabis. He also had a letter from his doctor stating he was ok to drive with it in his system as long as he was not above the prescribed limit.
Speak to your doctor about getting a prescription and a medical exemption certificate. Keep these with you, and limit your use, and you shouldn’t have any problems

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

Excellent news! Thanks I’ll do that

CookieMonster:
As long as these bases are covered, I can’t see why a transport manager would not employ someone.

Point taken re the potential for discrimination, however any TM who cared about his own status would, if they felt concerned about potential discrimination vs a cannabis-using driver, simply get advice from the company solicitor as well as reporting the matter to the TC to await their edict, whilst keeping the driver off the road.
I can say for certain that having recently sat in on a PI with a view to helping a company recover from a bad situation, I would not under any circumstances take the risk with the case as described here

This thread needs the popcorn gif :smiley: . Everyone tiptoeing around the edges, but very likely all have the same thoughts.

OP how did you get the medical cannabis subscription, and what do you need to tell your doctor, and how much did it cost you?

asking for a friend

TruckDriverBen:
OP how did you get the medical cannabis subscription, and what do you need to tell your doctor, and how much did it cost you?

asking for a friend

Click that link I provided further up or look at the U.K. medical cannabis subreddit for more information.

I paid £90 for the initial consultation and £65 for follow up appointments when I need to see my doctor again. I just told the truth, I use it for pain management and helping to sleep. As long as you have previously been prescribed two forms or more forms of medication like cocodamol and tramadol, if you find cannabis more effective you could be eligible for a prescription

DCPCFML:
This thread needs the popcorn gif :smiley: . Everyone tiptoeing around the edges, but very likely all have the same thoughts.

Yeah, if only we had some forum member who likes to jump right in there and call a spade a spade :laughing: Where are “the usual suspects” when you need them?

Look up ( L theanine ) on youtube … Green tea extract ,this will help you relax and is legal, cheaper than cbd stuff and passes blood tests, it is so cheap big pharma do not want you buying it… :wink:

Beetlejuice:
Look up ( L theanine ) on youtube … Green tea extract ,this will help you relax and is legal, cheaper than cbd stuff and passes blood tests, it is so cheap big pharma do not want you buying it… :wink:

I don’t think it will do much for my pain. I like cannabis, where some people like to unwind with a bottle of wine at the end of the day I prefer a gram of high quality weed

If you’re smoking it I can’t see how that could be a medical prescription.
And according the NHS info below, it seems highly unlikely you’d be driving HGVs on a medical cannabis prescription.

From nhs.uk/conditions/medical-cannabis/
Can I get a prescription for medical cannabis?
Very few people in England are likely to get a prescription for medical cannabis.
Currently, it is only likely to be prescribed for the following conditions:
children and adults with rare, severe forms of epilepsy
adults with vomiting or nausea caused by chemotherapy
people with muscle stiffness and spasms caused by multiple sclerosis (MS)
It would only be considered when other treatments were not suitable or had not helped.

Zac_A:
If you’re smoking it I can’t see how that could be a medical prescription.
And according the NHS info below, it seems highly unlikely you’d be driving HGVs on a medical cannabis prescription.

From nhs.uk/conditions/medical-cannabis/
Can I get a prescription for medical cannabis?
Very few people in England are likely to get a prescription for medical cannabis.
Currently, it is only likely to be prescribed for the following conditions:
children and adults with rare, severe forms of epilepsy
adults with vomiting or nausea caused by chemotherapy
people with muscle stiffness and spasms caused by multiple sclerosis (MS)
It would only be considered when other treatments were not suitable or had not helped.

No one is allowed to smoke cannabis in the U.K. it is illegal. You can be prescribed cannabis flower to be vaped. You will struggle to get this from the NHS but you can easily get it from a private doctor if you have qualifying health conditions.

Zac_A:
If you’re smoking it I can’t see how that could be a medical prescription.
And according the NHS info below, it seems highly unlikely you’d be driving HGVs on a medical cannabis prescription.

From nhs.uk/conditions/medical-cannabis/
Can I get a prescription for medical cannabis?
Very few people in England are likely to get a prescription for medical cannabis.
Currently, it is only likely to be prescribed for the following conditions:
children and adults with rare, severe forms of epilepsy
adults with vomiting or nausea caused by chemotherapy
people with muscle stiffness and spasms caused by multiple sclerosis (MS)
It would only be considered when other treatments were not suitable or had not helped.

If you want information on how you can get medical cannabis in the U.K. the best place to go is the U.K. medical cannabis subreddit. You’ll be able to find out there if you will be eligible and the prices involved.

TruckDriverBen:
OP how did you get the medical cannabis subscription, and what do you need to tell your doctor, and how much did it cost you?

asking for a friend

Also that friend wants to know if there is any extra for sale ?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Greenuser:
If you want information on how you can get medical cannabis in the U.K. the best place to go is the U.K. medical cannabis subreddit. You’ll be able to find out there if you will be eligible and the prices involved.

No, I do not want this information, I was just suggesting that you’ve got no chance of finding some numbnuts to take a chance on you driving their wagon.

EDIT: On re-reading your posts you were the one that claimed to “need” a gram of weed, and that you had a prescription for it, now you say it can’t be smoked on a prescription, so you’ve just identified yourself as a run-of-the-mill Troll. :unamused: