August Medical Cannabis Headlines & Sector Update
August 10, 2026 | IN NEWS | BY Kate Thorpe
Each month, we bring together the key news stories shaping the medical cannabis landscape in the UK and beyond.
This month’s headlines highlight the evolving place of cannabis-based medicines in healthcare, research and public policy. Key developments include a pioneering NHS inpatient medical cannabis procedure, the impact of prescribed cannabis on policing in Jersey, major changes to reimbursement in Germany, further progress towards legalisation in France, and the launch of an NIHR-funded clinical trial investigating a potential treatment for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.
NHS trust approves inpatient medical cannabis policy
Devon Partnership NHS Trust (DPT) NHS trust has approved a standard procedure for patients to continue taking their prescribed cannabis-based medications while in hospital.The policy, which aims to give medical cannabis patients a clear, safe pathway when admitted, was approved in May.
The mental health and learning disability trust is among the first in England to establish procedures for verifying prescriptions, storing medicines, and administering treatment safely where appropriate, since medical cannabis was legalised in 2018.
Medicinal cannabis making policing ‘more complex’ in Jersey
Medicinal cannabis use has made it more difficult for police officers in Jersey to distinguish between legal and illegal drug use, despite fewer people being charged with drug offences, senior officers have said.
States of Jersey Police said more islanders accessing prescribed medicinal cannabis had reduced demand for illegal imports of the drug. The force’s first Crime and Policing Statistics report showed there were 55 fewer arrests between 2022 and 2025.
Germany bans medical cannabis flower from reimbursement
Germany has voted to ban medical cannabis flower from its statutory health insurance scheme, in a broad savings package, which passed through the Bundestag on 10 July. This will mean medical cannabis flower is no longer reimbursed, while patients seeking cover for extracts must first undergo a mandatory six-month course of an approved cannabis-based finished medicine.
France’s medical cannabis framework edges closer to legalisation
France’s incoming legal framework for the prescription of cannabis-based medicines has edged closer to clearing the final hurdle. According to Newsweed the Minister Delegate for Relations with Parliament confirmed the text has received approval from the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, and was submitted to the Conseil d’État for review, the final step before becoming law.
Ananda Pharma doses first patient in NIHR-backed CIPN trials
Ananda Pharma has dosed the first patient in the ACTiON trial, a Phase 2 NIHR-funded study evaluating MRX1, the company’s proprietary CBD-based oral solution, as a treatment for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), a debilitating nerve-damage condition caused by chemotherapy for which no effective therapies currently exist.
Join the Society
If you want to stay informed, supported, and part of the independent clinical voice shaping medical cannabis in the UK, join the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society.
Membership gives you access to expert guidance, CPD-accredited education, peer support, and regular sector updates like this one. Join the Society to be part of the conversation and help drive better, evidence-based care.