Cannabis-medicated family man: – Saved my life

– Aina was my first and last hope to be able to continue with this treatment.

This is what the family man in his 30s from Eastern Norway tells Dagbladet about his use of cannabis as medicine.

He is one of 81 patients who spend an uncertain amount of time waiting. The reason is that his doctor, Aina Mumbi, received a devastating message on 22 February:

The Norwegian Health Authority has decided to limit her authorization as a doctor.

– If it hadn’t been for her, I would never have experienced recovery. She has saved my life in many ways, says the father of the family.

For the sake of his children, he does not want to be named in the newspaper, but has documented to us what he tells in this case.

Harsh criticism

The Schengen agreement makes it possible for Norwegian citizens to choose doctors and treatment in other countries. With the help of a certificate from a doctor in Norway, they can get a prescription for cannabis from a Dutch doctor for up to one month’s use at a time.

Mumbi’s practice of issuing such certificates is now being stopped by the Norwegian Health Authority.

The inspection’s decision is 14 pages long, but in short Mumbi is criticized for:

• Limited patient contact and a weak basis for issuing cannabis certificates.
• The patients do not have diagnoses that in Norway qualify for cannabis as medicine.
• Poor interaction with LAR (Drug Assisted Rehabilitation) and GP.
• Inadequate record keeping.
• Violation of the duty of cannabis patients to report to the State Administrator that they should not have a driver’s license.

“Overall, we consider that you have not carried out a proper examination and diagnosis of the patients, or made a proper assessment of the patient’s treatment needs before you have issued medical certificates for the introduction of cannabis-related medicines”, they write.

– Arrogant

The authority therefore criticizes Mumbi for not following Norwegian guidelines when she prints out the cannabis certificates.

– I have corrected absolutely everything else they point to, but right here I believe that the Norwegian Health Authority’s interpretation of the law is wrong. I do not have the competence to cross-examine the treating doctor in the Netherlands, she says to Dagbladet.

– When the Norwegian Health Authority has decided on an interpretation of the legislation, isn’t it arrogant of you to think that you are sitting on the facts?

– The focus lies in what works for the patient. According to the Schengen agreement, these patients have the right to seek treatment abroad, and spend thousands of kroner to collect the medicine. It is arrogant to assume that they do it for any reason other than that they need it.

Read her full response further down in the case.

The Norwegian Health Authority has been presented with all the statements from Mumbi and her patient. They refer to the decision and do not wish to make further comments.

– Thought I was going to die

In Norway, there are very few diagnoses that qualify for the use of cannabis-related medicines.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which the father of the family from Eastern Norway has been diagnosed with, is not on the list.

For two years he has been collecting cannabis as medicine in the Netherlands.

– Before, I had unmanageable panic attacks, with such strong physical reactions that I thought I was going to die. At worst I could have eleven of these a day, now I’ve moved to four manageable attacks a year.

Tried “everything”

After he was diagnosed with PTSD five years ago, he tried out virtually every treatment method the support system has to offer, says the father of the family.

Including talk therapy, anxiety groups, so-called EMDR treatment (a form of psychotherapy) and “every possible antidepressant you can get your hands on”.

– These medicines had terrible side effects for me. I slept badly, had nightmares all the time and ate badly, which in sum gave me an incredibly poor quality of life. I was so numb that I couldn’t feel the small joys in life, says the man in his 30s.

Doctor reacts: – Impossible to defend

– No one notices

He describes a huge change with the cannabis treatment. From barely being able to keep up with his children, to becoming a present father again.

– It gave me my life back, and I could be the father I was before I got sick.

– It may appear incompatible to be a family man and smoke cannabis?

– With the antidepressants, I was heavily drugged down, it was not compatible with being a father. They had a much greater risk of side effects. When I’m in social gatherings, no one notices that I’m using cannabis.

– Norwegian health authorities are clear that there is no evidence that cannabis treatment is effective against PTSD?

– When you have tried all the traditional ways, I feel that we have a right to be able to try the alternative methods.

Stopped at customs: – Treated as a criminal

The Norwegian Health Authority writes in the decision against Mumbi that they have reviewed a selection of systematic review articles from the last five years.

They are clear in their speech:

The articles “show no or modest treatment effect” with medical cannabis for various mental disorders, PTSD and chronic sleep disorders.

– Hard time ahead

The decision from the Norwegian Health Authority does not have retroactive effect. This means that the father of the family can keep the health certificate from Mumbi, even if she is no longer allowed to issue such certificates.

However, it has an expiry date of one year.

When it expires, the man in his 30s fears that he will not find any other doctors who will give him such a certificate.

– I realize that I probably have an extremely hard time ahead of me. If I don’t find a new doctor, I risk having to go back on the terrible drugs with the bad side effects.

Towards own cannabis campaign

– Rejects hundreds

The cannabis doctor herself believes that it is unlikely that other doctors will dare to follow in her footsteps, when they see the consequences of this case.

Mumbi is adamant that her practice has been sound and necessary for her patients. At the same time, she criticizes the Norwegian Health Authority for not having spoken to these patients.

– Have you allowed yourself to be controlled by your patients, as the Norwegian Health Authority claims?

– Not at all. “Hundreds of patients come to me with a desire for cannabis treatment, which I reject because of ongoing drug use or psychosis,” she says.

– As the inspectorate points out, cannabis is not evidence-based for the diagnoses your patients have. How then can you defend it?

– Cannabis is a very low-risk medicine for the vast majority of people. As a doctor, I must make individual assessments, Mumbi replies.

Internal cannabis meetings: “Risk great pressure”

Don’t hope

She confirms that there are very few large studies on cannabis as medicine, but believes this is linked to a lack of incentives.

– The pharmaceutical industry cannot patent cannabis. Therefore, no one has incentives to put the money on the table for such studies.

Mumbi has complained about the decision, but has no hope of winning. She has come up with a proposal which means that she can continue as a GP at Eikaklinikken, but without the supervision of a doctor – as required by the Norwegian Health Authority.

– This is a risk I was willing to take when I took this job.