Salford Councillor Andrew Walters has become a political advisor for an advocacy group campaigning for the protection of UK medical cannabis users.
Manchester-based CannCare provides help, support and information to medical cannabis users when they face issues with public bodies such as housing associations, local councils, and law enforcement.
Coun Walters is a drug policy reform advocate who believes in a “harm-reduction-focused approach to drug policy—one that treats substance use primarily as a health issue rather than a criminal one”.
He joined the organisation with the hope of driving policy discussions that lead to more evidence-based, pragmatic reforms, pushing for a system that is “fair and compassionate”.
Honoured to have just been appointed as a trustee and political advisor for @CannCareUK. Patients deserve prescription, not prosecution, and I’m proud to support the fight for their rights.https://t.co/oAtpYGdpRt
It’s time for a compassionate, evidence-based approach.…
— Cllr Walters (@CllrWalters) March 3, 2025
He explained how some patients experience discrimination, facing “eviction threats from housing associations, inappropriate arrests, and other forms of mistreatment simply for using their legally prescribed medication”.
Last year, Coun Walters brought forward a motion to full council in Salford seeking to affirm patients’ rights to use their legally prescribed cannabis wherever needed without fear of reprisal.
Use of medical cannabis was legalised in the UK over six years ago but access to it remains difficult with it only being prescribed by a specialist for certain health problems.
CEO of CannCare, Callum Jones, said: “We’ve discovered a lot of discrimination across the medical cannabis sector and a lot of people aren’t aware it exists.”
Mr Jones approached Coun Walters to get him on board due to his background in drugs reform campaigning.
He said Coun Walters was “exactly the kind of people we want in our organisation”, being key to providing political insight.
CannCare is a recent member of the Cannabis Industry Council, a wider movement of medical cannabis which aims to bring together organisations, businesses, and groups working in many different ways to promote the cause of medical cannabis, hemp and CBD.
Recent Comments