For four years, all I ate was chicken curry...

Autism and ADHD made James McConkey hypersensitive to food until a prescription for medical cannabis changed his life. Now he is calling on the health service to change its policies around the controversial supplements to help people like him. BY KAREN ROCKETT

- BY KAREN ROCKETT

JAMES McConkey was so crippled by sensory processing issues surrounding food that he ate only chicken curry for four years, and had never tried anything that was cold.

But the 27-year-old, whose diet was limited to a handful of meals that depended on colour and texture, was prescribed medical cannabis for his autism, and began enjoying healthier and more varied food almost overnight.

James, who also has ADHD and mental health problems, was on “countless pills” prescribed by his GP and was looking to make a change 18 months ago, as the side effects were starting to take a huge toll on him mentally and physically.

At its most extreme, James was taking more than 35 tablets a week. But he now receives a monthly prescription from doctors at leading medical cannabis clinic Lyphe, and has reduced his NHS medications by half.

He is now a healthy weight, physically active, and relieved to finally be able to eat nourishing food “normally”. And he is campaigning for the NHS to reconsider its stance on cannabis for conditions like his.

He believes making it available on prescription could improve lives by preventing people from turning to the black market for help or using medicines such as opioid painkillers, which are highly addictive and have powerful side effects.

"I had difficulties with colours and textures of food," James, from Belfast, Northern Ireland, explains.

"It severely impacted my life. I would go out for a meal or eat with my family and I would be different from everyone else.

"I felt ashamed that I couldn't just enjoy food like everyone else. It's very hard for people to understand. Even looking at food or thinking about it could make me sick. For four years, all I ate was chicken curry - nothing else - I knew it was safe."