Medical cannabis prescriptions - the facts behind the headlines

Prescriptions are not the same as patients

The most important point is this:

The FOI data counts prescriptions, not individual patients.

Medical cannabis is usually prescribed as an ongoing treatment. Patients are reviewed regularly and receive repeat prescriptions, often monthly or every six to eight weeks. One patient may therefore receive multiple prescriptions over a year.

If we use a cautious average of around eight prescriptions per patient per year, 659,000 prescriptions would equate to roughly 82,000 patients. That aligns with wider estimates suggesting there are around 80,000 to 90,000 medical cannabis patients across the UK. In population terms, this remains a very small group, especially when compared with prescribing volumes for many other specialist medicines.

Medical cannabis has been legal on prescription in the UK since November 2018. However, uptake in the early years was extremely limited.

The increase seen in recent years reflects gradual change rather than sudden expansion.
Several factors are driving this:

Greater clinical understanding
More specialist doctors now have experience of where medical cannabis may have a role, particularly for patients who have not responded to standard treatments or who cannot tolerate their side effects.

Improved guidance and governance
Over time, professional guidance, data collection and clinical frameworks have developed, making prescribing more structured and cautious.

Informed patients seeking options
Many patients turning to medical cannabis are doing so after years of unsuccessful treatment. They are often looking for better symptom control or improved quality of life, not a first-line option.

Prescribing remains tightly regulated. In the UK, unlicensed cannabis-based medicines can only be initiated by doctors on the GMC Specialist Register, with careful assessment, conservative dosing and ongoing monitoring. This pattern of growth is not unique to the UK. Similar trends have been seen in countries such as Australia, Canada and parts of Europe as clinical experience grows.

Medical cannabis is not a cure-all, and it does not work for everyone. However, patients commonly report improvements in certain symptoms, including:

• Chronic or neuropathic pain

• Sleep disturbance

• Muscle stiffness or spasms

• Seizure frequency in some forms of epilepsy

• Nausea and vomiting, particularly during chemotherapy

• Anxiety, PTSD, OCD and other mental health symptoms

Some patients are also able to reduce their use of other medicines, such as opioids, which are associated with significant side effects and risks.

UK data from sources such as Project Twenty21 and the UK Medical Cannabis Registry gives a useful picture of current prescribing patterns.

The most common groups include:

• Chronic pain conditions, including arthritis

• Neurological conditions such as epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone disease and Alzheimer’s

• Mental health conditions including PTSD, generalised anxiety disorder and OCD

• Gastrointestinal conditions such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis

• Cancer-related symptoms, including pain, appetite loss and chemotherapy-related nausea

• Palliative care, where comfort and quality of life are the primary goals

Yes, gradually.

Medical cannabis is increasingly seen by clinicians as one option among many, not a first-line treatment. Growth is likely to continue as more doctors receive appropriate training and gain experience, but prescribing remains cautious and evidence-led.

The Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society supports this approach through CPD-accredited education, prescribing guidance, peer support and ongoing professional development.

At present, almost all prescriptions are private. Many doctors who prescribe medical cannabis privately also work within the NHS and would prefer to offer this treatment based on clinical need rather than a patient’s ability to pay.

There are also potential system benefits. Better symptom control can mean fewer GP appointments, fewer emergency admissions and shorter hospital stays. In conditions such as treatment-resistant childhood epilepsy, reducing seizures can prevent repeated hospitalisation.

Um 2024 health economics study found that prescribing medical cannabis for chronic pain, instead of alternative treatments, could save the NHS around £729 million per year while improving patient outcomes. A separate study by the Centre for Economics and Business Research estimated that wider NHS access could unlock up to £13.3 billion for the UK economy over ten years through better health and increased ability to work.

Medical cannabis in the UK is not the same as illicit or recreational cannabis. It is prescribed as a controlled medicine, produced to pharmaceutical standards, monitored closely and governed by strict professional and regulatory safeguards.

Understanding the data properly matters. The FOI figures reflect growing clinical activity within a regulated system.

If medical cannabis is discussed accurately and responsibly, it allows for a more informed public conversation about patient need, clinical decision-making and future access.