Is the UK Falling Behind on Medical Cannabis?

It’s been over five years since the UK government legalised medical cannabis. 

And yet, only a few thousand patients have access through private clinics. NHS prescriptions? Still virtually non-existent. 

Meanwhile, countries like Germany, Australia, Canada, and even parts of the US are embracing cannabis as a legitimate therapeutic tool for everything from chronic pain to epilepsy to anxiety.

Which leads us to the question: what’s going on here? 

Why are British patients still stuck in limbo, forced to choose between the black market, expensive private prescriptions, or suffering in silence whilst the rest of the world seem to be moving forward with pragmatic policies, funding real-world research, and integrating cannabis into mainstream care?

This isn’t just a policy issue, it’s a public health failure. And it reflects a deeper cultural blind spot in how we view natural medicine, autonomy, and the root causes of chronic illness.

In order for us to answer these questions, we’re going to have to go back to the very beginning. 

The Law Isn’t Working For Many

In November 2018, medical cannabis became legal in the UK. But newsflash: legal doesn’t mean accessible.

Doctors can legally prescribe cannabis, but most won’t. 

And NHS Trusts rarely support it. Many clinicians fear repercussions from regulatory bodies, or they simply lack the training to feel confident recommending it. 

Meanwhile, patients in need of relief are palmed off with something along the lines of “Have you tried tramadol yet?”. Sound familiar? 

This hesitancy to prescribe cannabis is rooted in stigma and outdated medical dogma. The result? 

Over 30,000 patients are now turning to private cannabis clinics, paying hundreds a month for something that should be affordable, normal, and available through the NHS.

These private clinics are doing what the NHS won’t – giving patients access to legal, safe, and effective cannabis medicine. 

But it comes at a cost. For many, it’s simply unaffordable. And while private access is better than nothing, it highlights just how broken the system is.

Medical cannabis isn’t a fringe treatment anymore. It’s legal. It’s helping people. And it’s time the public system caught up.

The Data Is Already There

Medical cannabis is one of the most studied plants in the world. Thousands of peer-reviewed studies now show its therapeutic potential for:

• Chronic pain
• Anxiety and PTSD
• Sleep disorders
• Multiple sclerosis
• Epilepsy (especially in children)
• Inflammatory bowel conditions
• Cancer-related symptoms

But don’t just take our word for it. Recent studies continue to underscore the therapeutic potential of medical cannabis across various conditions:​

• Chronic Pain: A 2025 study published in Pain Physician concluded that cannabinoids are effective in managing chronic pain, particularly neuropathic pain, with a favorable safety profile. ​MDPI
  
• Anxiety and PTSD: Research indicates that cannabidiol (CBD), a component of cannabis, has anxiolytic properties, significantly reducing anxiety in individuals with social anxiety disorder during public speaking tests. ​
  
• Sleep Disorders: A study highlighted in Pharmacy Times reported that patients using medical cannabis experienced significant improvements in sleep quality within the first 30 days of treatment. ​Pharmacy Times
  
• Multiple Sclerosis: The American Academy of Neurology found that oral cannabis extract is effective in reducing patient-reported spasticity symptoms in multiple sclerosis.
  
• Epilepsy: Cannabidiol has been approved in the United States for treating severe forms of epilepsy, such as Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome, due to its efficacy in reducing seizure frequency.
  
• Inflammatory Bowel Conditions: Data from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry demonstrated improvements in quality of life measures for patients with inflammatory bowel disease treated with cannabis-based medicinal products.

• Cancer-Related Symptoms: A 2025 observational study in the Journal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy reported that cancer patients using cannabis-based medicinal products experienced reduced pain and improved sleep quality over six months.

This is not fringe science. The UK’s own drug regulator (MHRA) has approved cannabis-based medications like Epidyolex for epilepsy and Sativex for MS, but only under rigid conditions.

However, the broader cannabis plant (with its full spectrum of cannabinoids, terpenes, and therapeutic potential) remains unfairly sidelined.

A Cultural Problem: The Pharma-First Mentality

The UK’s medical system is still locked into a pharmaceutical-first mindset.

We’re trained to believe that symptoms must be solved from a pill made in a lab. Natural medicines, whether cannabis, mushrooms, herbs, or sunlight, are often dismissed as “alternative,” “unproven,” or “dangerous,” despite hundreds of years of safe use and a growing body of modern evidence.

But if you talk to the people using cannabis medicinally in the UK, people with fibromyalgia, arthritis, depression, long COVID, or autoimmune disease, you’ll hear a very different story.

For many, it’s been life-changing.

Cannabis isn’t a cure-all. But it’s one of the best metabolic modulators we have. It reduces inflammation, improves mitochondrial function, balances neurotransmitters, and supports restorative sleep, making it a valuable tool in reversing metabolic dysfunction, the root of most chronic disease.

The Elephant in the Room: The Black Market

Here’s the irony though: cannabis is easy to get in the UK. But unless you go through a private clinic, it’s illegal.

That means millions of people are already using cannabis for pain, sleep, or stress, but they’re criminalised for doing so. 

Worse, they have no way of knowing what they’re consuming. No quality control. No guidance. No support.

This creates a two-tiered system:

• The wealthy get safe, legal access through private prescriptions.
• Everyone else is pushed underground.

That’s not just unjust, it’s unsafe. A functional, compassionate healthcare system doesn’t push people toward street dealers. It listens, learns, and adapts.

Hope on the Horizon: What Needs to Change

Here’s the good news: tides are turning.

• More UK doctors are getting trained in cannabis medicine.
• Patient-led groups like PLEA (Patient-Led Engagement for Access) are pushing for reform.
• Research institutions are beginning to study cannabis’ impact on inflammation, mental health, and neurodegenerative disease.

But we need more than awareness, we need action. We believe:

• The NHS must begin supporting safe access for eligible patients.
• Doctors must be empowered to prescribe without fear.
• Policymakers must listen to patient voices, not pharmaceutical lobbyists.
• And the media must stop equating “cannabis” with laziness or criminality.

Conclusion

We’re waking up to the reality that the development of chronic illness may not be as random as we once thought, and that healing requires more than prescriptions. It requires a full-spectrum approach: nutrition, sleep, light, movement, stress reduction, and yes, even cannabis.

If you’re reading this, you probably already sense that change is needed.

You may be using cannabis yourself or considering it, but frustrated by the lack of reliable, honest, UK-specific information. If so, read this for more info on medical cannabis.

It’s also why we created our newsletter.

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SOURCES:

1. NHS Digital. (2022). Medicinal Cannabis Data.
   
2. UK Home Office. (2018). Rescheduling of cannabis-based products for medicinal use.
   
3. British Medical Journal (BMJ). (2021). “UK doctors still hesitant to prescribe medicinal cannabis”.
   
4. The Centre for Medicinal Cannabis (2022). UK Patient Access Data.
   
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6. Elms, L. et al. (2019). Cannabidiol in the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. J Altern Complement Med.
   
7. Babson, K. et al. (2017). Cannabis, cannabinoids, and sleep: a review of the literature. Curr Psychiatry Rep.
   
8. Nielsen, S. et al. (2018). Medicinal Cannabis for MS-related symptoms. Mult Scler J.
   
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16. Bikman, B. (2020). Why We Get Sick: The Hidden Epidemic at the Root of Most Chronic Disease.
    
17. Transform Drug Policy Foundation (2023). Cannabis Use and the Illegal Market.
    
18. PLEA UK (2023). Access and Advocacy for Medical Cannabis Patients.
    
19. King’s College London. Cannabinoid Research Group. Ongoing studies into cannabis and psychosis/inflammation.