Good Practice Guide for Prescribers of CBMPs

Cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) have been legal to prescribe in the UK since November 2018. Since then, prescribing has grown significantly across the private sector, while NHS access remains extremely limited.

As medical cannabis prescribing continues to develop, clear clinical standards are essential. The Society has produced the Good Practice Guide for Prescribers of CBMPs to support clinicians in making safe, consistent and evidence-informed prescribing decisions.

The Good Practice Guide provides a practical framework for clinicians prescribing cannabis-based medicinal products. It draws on the experience of the Society’s multidisciplinary membership, committee and executive, reflecting real-world prescribing across a wide range of clinical settings.

The guide supports clinicians with the key areas of good practice, including patient assessment, clinical decision-making, informed consent, prescribing, documentation, monitoring and follow-up. It does not replace clinical judgement or existing regulatory guidance. Instead, it helps clinicians apply professional standards clearly and consistently in the specific context of medical cannabis prescribing.

This guide is available as a free download for clinicians, clinic teams, pharmacists, regulators, policymakers and others working across the medical cannabis sector.

What the guide covers

The Good Practice Guide includes practical guidance on:

• who can prescribe CBMPs
• prescribing responsibilities and clinical accountability
• patient assessment and selection
• informed consent and shared decision-making
• indications, contraindications and clinical risk
• drug interactions and polypharmacy
• product choice, dosing and titration
• monitoring, follow-up and stopping rules
• shared care and follow-up prescribing
• multidisciplinary oversight and peer review
• communication, documentation and pharmacy choice
• training and continuing professional development

Supporting safe prescribing

Medical cannabis can be a safe and effective treatment option for selected patients, particularly where conventional therapies have been unsuccessful. However, CBMPs remain unlicensed medicines and prescribing must be clinically justified, carefully documented and regularly reviewed.

The guide places clear emphasis on patient safety, including the management of side effects, mental health considerations, dependency risk, higher THC exposure and complex medical histories.

Prescribing decisions remain the responsibility of the clinician and must always be made in the patient’s best interest.