Rum and Reflections

This time last year, the cannabis industry was something I knew absolutely nothing about. However, a career break from my role within the NHS, paired with some unexpected circumstances due to the COVID pandemic, landed me in the world of plant-based medicines. In the Caribbean nation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (where I had travelled to with the plan to undertake a research project on the impact of epilepsy and introduce a diagnostic EEG  clinic), I received a crash course in cannabis (thanks to The Director of Cultivation at my sponsoring company) and subsequently developed a keen interest in the potential of this drug to treat a whole range of conditions, including epilepsy. Life in the Caribbean gave me a whole new perspective on many things, one of the most interesting being the use of natural and native plants and herbs as treatments and healing aids, which are sworn upon by locals, as they have been for many years. With discussion about the efficacy of the  papay...

It’s been  over six months since the senseless murder of unarmed Black American man George Floyd and the subsequent international Black Lives Matter movement. During this time, the world was forced to open its eyes to racism, discrimination and injustice; however, just because this movement is no longer at the forefront of our daily news doesn’t mean that these issues have simply gone away. These problems are ingrained in our society and, just as we should expect a certain level of care and fairness from the police service, we should also feel certain that this applies to other sectors such as education and healthcare – but, are people always being treated fairly when they are at their most vulnerable state in hospital? The current COVID pandemic has opened our eyes to the health inequalities that exist in the UK and has made us realise that this isn’t always the case. So, what can we learn from undoubtedly the two most significant events of 2020 and how can we comm...