Nottingham grandad says it would be 'impossible' to play with his grandchildren without medical cannabis

A Nottingham man has said it would be “impossible” for him to play with his grandchildren without the use of medical cannabis. 

Peter Arquhard, 60, worked in construction and garden landscaping most of his life, but was forced to retire due to severe arthritis in both hands and arms, as well as Fibromyalgia. 

Mr Arquhard spoke to his GP to source treatment for his conditions, but found that these only made his symptoms worse. 

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He said: “I was offered physiotherapy and painkillers by my GP, but I just found this made the pain worse, and the side effects of the tablets were impossible to live with. 

“Recently, I had a serious flare up of Sciatica, I couldn’t even walk. I went to the hospital and was given extremely strong painkillers, which took half a day to kick in. 

“I was sent home with the same medication for a week, and after 2 days, I didn’t feel like I knew myself. The pain really affected me mentally.”

Mr Arquhard now uses medical cannabis on a daily basis, and has a prescription tailored to his specific needs from private clinic Alternaleaf.

As a result, he is able to do ‘normal’ activities, such as opening a door handle, or picking up a cup of tea, without the worry of being in excruciating pain. 

The use of medical cannabis was legalised in 2018, but NHS doctors can only prescribe it for rare forms of epilepsy, Multiple Sclerosis or pain associated with chemotherapy.

“I have 11 grandchildren and naturally I want to pick them up and play with them,” Mr Arquhard added. 

“But without medical cannabis, this is impossible due to my back pain and arthritis.

“Christmas day for example, can be a very difficult time with the kids. Without medical cannabis, it would be a very grey day.”