Question about cannabis included in evidence

Hi

My GP has written an excellent letter to support my claim for PIP. However I am worried because she refers to a letter by my rheumatologist, which includes a question about cannabis for pain relief that my husband asked. It mentions I had a try of some cannabis at a friends house and found it helped my symptoms enormously. Could this information be negative for my claim?

I'd be grateful for any advice as I need to send the form and this letter off very soon.

Many thanks.

It seems to me that by mentioning this your GP has not been very helpful.

I wonder why she found it neccessary to include this. I think if it were me I would go back to her and ask how she thinks it will help my case. If she can provide an answer which I can use at the WCA then
I might use it. However I would point out to the GP that in my opinion it is not helpful to mention an illegal drug which helped me enormously. I can't get it because its illegal. There isn't even any medical trial I can participate in. I think I would want it removed.

Thanks very much for replying to me. That's what I thought.

However, maybe I didn't express it very well (no surprise!), it is not my GP herself who has directly mentioned the cannabis, it is the report which my GP refers to in her letter and attaches a copy of, written by the Rheumatologist, which mentions the cannabis issue, which my husband raised when I was seen. This report also includes useful information about my conditions.

I was thinking of asking my GP not to refer to the Rhuemy report at all and to just mention some of the useful info contained in it; for example, that I have 16 tender points on examination (I have Fibromyalgia).

Could I ask the Rheumatologist to write a letter for me to send to the DWP which does NOT mention the cannabis?

However, could the DWP get their hands on the Rheumy report anyway? Would the cannabis issue affect my claim if they did? Or do they send medical professionals a form to fill out?
Or both? Sorry, that's a lot of questions, they keep going round and round in my head.

I feel stuck and stressed.

Grateful for any feedback. With best wishes, Kasbah.

Gordon, many thanks for your reply, things seem clearer now and it's a relief to know that DWP don't ask to view medical records. I will talk to my doctor and contact the Rheumatologist about writing a letter which doesn't mention the stuff.

Best wishes, Kasbah