The Never-Ending Carousel of Cannabis Nonsense

My personal journey Four years after breast cancer treatment, new neuropathic pain sent me back for scans and straight into the arms of Dr Google. The scans were clear. The internet, however, had already diagnosed me with absolute confidence and a pile of questionable citations. This stop takes on medical misinformation by search engine, the story that “cannabis cures cancer”, the rise of the Armc...

This episode on the Never Ending Carousel of Cannabis Nonsense takes a hard look at what happens when systems become more interested in protecting themselves than delivering outcomes. First, we tackle one of the most persistent myths in medical cannabis: that doctors are afraid of being struck off for prescribing cannabis medicines to children. A serious claim. One small problem. Nobody seems able...

Episode 50 of the Never Ending Carousel of Cannabis Nonsense lands this Friday, 19th June, at noon UK time. Not bad going since May 2025, especially considering the carousel should have broken down, caught fire, or been confiscated by a regulator by now. This one is called Process First, Questions Later, and it is a cheerful little tour through Britain’s favourite national hobby: following procedu...

Makerfield has entered the chat. In this episode of The Never Ending Carousel of Cannabis Nonsense, we take a sharp turn through the revolving doors of Number 10, where by-elections, leadership threats, Brexit hangovers and the UK-EU SPS agreement all collide in one glorious Westminster pile-up. From Cameron’s referendum gamble to May’s impossible clean-up job, Boris’s bluster, Truss’s lettuce-spe...

Three encounters. Same carousel. A family weaponising concern. An out of court settlement - proof that hard line tactics don't work. Two Met officers who did not know cannabis can be legally prescribed. Different scenes. Same problem. Patients, the public and even police are still trapped in confusion, stigma and outdated thinking around legal medical cannabis in the UK. Send us a message Sup...

Sian goes from Princess Anne’s legendary “Not bloody likely!” to the equally useful compliance principle of “don’t be so bloody stupid”. This episode’s carousel takes in British politics, public frustration, activist groups that forget advocacy still needs accountability, and the refreshingly honest request for help from someone who simply wants a decent contract, proper governance, regulatory saf...

In this episode of The Never Ending Carousel of Cannabis Nonsense, Siân takes aim at one of the cannabis sector’s rarest commodities: credibility.  From self-appointed experts and strange event behaviour to rumours, activist claims and the convenient rewriting of other people’s positions, this episode asks why an industry fighting for legitimacy still gives so much room to nonsense.  Blunt, funny...

At every cannabis event, there’s that moment. The polite chat is over. The regulation grumbles have been shared. The patient access nodding is complete. And then comes the simple question: “So… what do you actually do?” In this episode of The Never Ending Carousel of Cannabis Nonsense , Sian explores the curious rise of the vaguely involved. The consultants who can’t quite explain their consultanc...

This episode we examine the curious phenomenon of the self appointed guardian of transparency. The man with the invisible clipboard. The archaeologist of twenty year old emails. The tiny hammer enthusiast tapping away at industry morale. Why must every informal phone call be minuted? Since when did off the record conversations require stenographers? And at what point does “tenacious” quietly becom...

Another turn of The Never Ending Carousel of Cannabis Nonsense. This week, we attend a quiet professional disappearance. A once self-appointed guardian of the CBD sector has vanished. Website suspended. Data incomplete. Members exposed. And regulators still asking questions. In this episode, Sian Phillips dissects what happens when fear becomes a business model, when exclusivity replaces cohesion,...

What starts as a harmless Sunday morning thought turns into a six-hour legislative excavation with industrial equipment. In this episode of The Never-Ending Carousel of Cannabis Nonsense, Sian explores ADHD through the only accurate metaphor available: seven squirrels, a rabbit hole, and a JCB. Between online violin lessons and cups of tea delivered by a very patient partner, a simple question abo...

The UK cannabis industry loves to talk about collaboration, community, and growth. What it is less keen on discussing is what actually happens behind the scenes. In this episode of The Never-Ending Carousel of Cannabis Nonsense , Sian takes a sharp look at industry events, networking culture, and the unspoken power dynamics that shape who gets access, who gets heard, and who gets quietly harvested...

The cannabis industry wants the moon on a stick. It wants regulation fixed, access opened, politicians educated, crises handled and reputations protected. It wants trade bodies to do the work, take the risk, absorb the flak and keep showing up. What it does not always want to do is pay for it. In this episode, Sian Phillips delivers a blunt, long-overdue rant about entitlement, complacency and the...

... That Honey Is Better Than Poop  Tabloids are not confused about medical cannabis. They're committed to misrepresenting it. In this episode of The Never Ending Carousel of Cannabis Nonsense , Sian explains why she has stopped responding to ragebait headlines, why correction often fuels the outrage machine, and why the industry needs stronger boundaries. This is about changing where we resp...

Why are international cannabis companies actively joining the Cannabis Trades Association, while many UK businesses are still standing on the sidelines? In this episode of The Never Ending Carousel of Cannabis Nonsense , Sian Phillips is joined by her colleague Marika Graham-Woods, who takes a moment to vent about a growing and worrying pattern. Overseas companies clearly see the value of represen...

In this episode of The Never Ending Carousel of Cannabis Nonsense, we take a blunt look at the Daily Fail and its ongoing attempt to convince the British public that prescribed cannabis is somehow a moral crisis. It is not. It is medication, and adults are using it to manage pain, PTSD, neurological conditions, and everyday health concerns while journalists cling to nostalgia and panic.  We drag o...

Sian tackles one of the UK’s most eyebrow-raising contradictions: the fact that it’s still completely illegal to grow your own cannabis, even for medical use. From the labyrinth of hemp licensing to the theatrical paranoia of the Home Office, this episode takes a dry, sarcastic stroll through Britain’s outdated cannabis laws. Sian unpacks exactly what it would take to “do it properly” and, unsurpr...

In this episode of the Never Ending Carousel of Cannabis Nonsense, I attempt to have a sensible conversation about a CBPM (Cannabis based prescription medicine) for children with intractable epilepsy. What I get instead is a LinkedIn performance piece from a man who lists actor, scriptwriter and part time scientist on his profile while simultaneously claiming he can detect my breath through the in...

In this episode of The Never Ending Carousel of Cannabis Nonsense , Sian tackles one of the most baffling recurring questions in the cannabis sector: “ What does a trade association actually do? ” With her trademark mix of observational comedy, blunt honesty, and industry insight, Sian explains why trade associations are not optional extras but essential safeguards in a chaotic and fast shifting r...

Not everything leafy is laced. Join Sian on The Never Ending Carousel of Cannabis Nonsense as she unpacks twenty of pop culture’s most persistent cannabis myths - from Shakespeare’s so-called smoke sessions to Popeye’s suspicious spinach. It’s a sharp-witted, eye-rolling ride through the music, television, film, and folklore that people have insisted were “secretly about weed.” From The Magic Roun...

Polypharmacy:  the word that sounds like progress but often means chaos. In this episode, Sian Phillips dives into the complex world of multiple prescriptions, exploring what happens when medicinal cannabis and CBD join the mix. From enzyme interactions and sedative overload to opportunities for deprescribing, it’s a straight-talking, globally relevant look at modern medicine’s love affair with me...

It’s 2025 (nearly 2026) — the world runs on apps, AI, and automation — yet somehow, there’s still someone in every meeting who refuses to “do it that way.” In Bending and Bowing , Sian Phillips unpacks the maddening irony of being a flexible, high-functioning professional in a world that punishes efficiency. From digital Luddites refusing authenticator apps to the daily theft of unpaid minutes tha...

Seven years on from the legalisation of medical cannabis in the UK, the lines between the clinical and the criminal have started to blur. In this episode of The Never Ending Carousel of Cannabis Nonsense , host Sian Phillips takes a sharp, sardonic look at the uncomfortable truth - that the “medical” and “legacy” cannabis markets now share more similarities than differences. From pricing and quali...

What happens when national identity meets medical absurdity? In this tongue-in-cheek episode, Welsh advocate Sian Phillips takes a satirical look at how equality laws protect your right to a translator — but not your right to affordable medical cannabis. From Machynlleth to Llanelli , and from Y Ddraig Goch to the endocannabinoid system , this episode explores the irony of being Welsh in England —...

A guided tour of the industry’s overconfident disasters and the loyal minions who follow them. In this episode of The Never Ending Carousel of Cannabis Nonsense , we take a steady spin through one of the industry’s most persistent mysteries — where do all the bad guys actually go? You know the ones.  The swagger, the bravado, the confidence so blinding you need a risk assessment just to stand near...