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We are delighted to share the second-prize essay from our inaugural Medical Cannabis Student Essay Competition, written by Taranjot Bhoot, a second-year Medical Physiology undergraduate at the University of Leicester.

In Medical Cannabis for Endometriosis: Should It Have a Place in Clinical Practice?, Taranjot examines the significant treatment gap experienced by many people with endometriosis and considers whether cannabis-based medicines could offer another option for managing complex, persistent pain.

The essay explores the role of the endocannabinoid system in reproductive physiology and evaluates emerging evidence for medical cannabis. Taranjot carefully balances its potential benefits against important questions surrounding safety, evidence quality, cost, stigma and equitable access.

Rather than suggesting that the evidence is settled, she argues for a broader evidence framework combining emerging clinical trials, including ENDOCAN-1, with high-quality real-world registry data to inform safe and evidence-based clinical practice.

📝 Download and read Taranjot Bhoot’s essay

Congratulations to Taranjot on an insightful and academically rigorous submission. Her work reflects the curiosity, critical thinking and commitment to evidence-based care that the Society hopes to encourage among the next generation of clinicians and medical researchers.

About the author

Taranjot’s interest in the endocannabinoid system developed while studying reproduction, inspiring her to investigate how cannabinoid receptor modulation might be used to manage reproductive disorders. She aspires to become a clinician-scientist, translating emerging medical research into safe, evidence-based patient care.

The competition forms part of the Society’s wider commitment to supporting medical students and the next generation of clinicians.

Each month, we bring together the key news stories shaping the medical cannabis landscape in the UK and beyond.

This month’s medical cannabis headlines reflect a sector expanding in scale, evidence and international reach. Key developments include the first European market approvals for Exilby® in chronic lower back pain, encouraging findings from a large UK survey of mental health patients, new insights into who is prescribing CBPMs in England, the first legal prescriptions issued in Ukraine, and projections that the UK patient population could exceed 140,000 by the end of 2026.

Exilby receives first European market approvals for chronic back pain

After more than a decade in development, a full-spectrum cannabis extract has received market authorisation in Germany and Austria, with UK approval expected by the end of the year. 

Developed by German biopharmaceutical company Vertanical, Exilby® (also known as VER-01) will now be prescribed for the treatment of chronic lower back pain with a neuropathic component, and is expected to be eligible for reimbursement in line with national processes. 

It comes following two randomised, controlled Phase 3 trials completed last year, in which the drug was found to reduce pain more effectively than opioids and with greater tolerability.

🔗 Read more 

98% of mental health patients report improvement from medical cannabis

The largest multi-clinic patient survey of its kind in the UK gathered responses from 6,282 patients across the clinics Mamedica, Alternaleaf, CB1 Medical, and Curaleaf. In a 5,128-patient sub-cohort of those who were prescribed the treatment for anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 97.6% reported improvement in symptoms, whilst 92.3% reported better sleep, and 93.5% said their ability to function day to day had improved. Commenting on the findings, Prof Mike Barnes said the data is “too substantial to set aside”.

🔗 Read more 

New data on prescribers of CBPMs

This month, the MCCS provided crucial context and insight for an in-depth report by Business of Cannabis, looking at the data behind medical cannabis prescribing in England. In March, The Times published a story based on an FOI request, in which we were also quoted, which claimed just 10 doctors were prescribing half of all CBMPs. 

New data has now shed light on the breakdown of the ‘prescriber type’ for all 1.54m items prescribed in the last six years. Nine of the 10 highest-volume prescribers in the dataset are pharmacist independent prescribers. Only the single highest-volume identifier, responsible for 172,755 items, 11.2% of the all-time total, is a doctor.

🔗 Read more 

Ukrainian patients receive first medical cannabis prescriptions

Two years on from the legalisation of medical cannabis in Ukraine, a war veteran and an MS patient have received the first legal prescriptions for cannabis-based medicines. The Ministry of Health has estimated that up to six million people may be eligible for treatment. Currently, only oral administration formats are approved for prescription by primary care doctors and specialised care physicians, and can be obtained through selected pharmacies, for a range of conditions. 

🔗 Read more 

UK patient numbers set to reach 140,000 in 2026

The number of patients being prescribed medical cannabis in the UK is expected to surpass 140,000 by the end of the year, as imports of the medicine and the range of products available to patients both doubled in 2025, according to a new report from Prohibition Partners. Over 30,000kg of medical cannabis was imported into the UK in 2025, and the number of CBPMs available to UK patients more than doubled. 

🔗 Read more 

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.

Society Chair, Professor Mike Barnes, recently joined Cannamonitor founder Arnau Valdovinos for a wide-ranging webinar exploring the development and future of the UK medical cannabis market.

During the 60-minute webinar, Professor Barnes and Arnau examine the data behind eight years of steady UK market growth. The country reportedly imported 30 tonnes of medical cannabis flower in 2025 and now serves an estimated 83,000 patients, yet treatment remains largely confined to the private sector, costing patients an average of around £300 per month.

The discussion considers what may happen next, including the case for a centralised NHS Individual Funding Request pathway to widen patient access. It also explores the rapid growth of prescribing, the concentration of patients among the largest clinics, and changes in the medicines being supplie, including the rising popularity of cannabis vapes and the limited range of alternative formulations.

Professor Barnes also addresses several important clinical and regulatory questions. He explains why higher THC levels do not necessarily produce better medical outcomes, discusses the limitations of terms such as “Indica” and “Sativa”, and highlights the importance of full Certificates of Analysis and more meaningful chemovar information.

The speakers also consider why cannabis medicines do not fit comfortably within the conventional pharmaceutical assessment system. Professor Barnes sets out the case for a separate “botanical NICE” route that better reflects the complexity and nature of cannabis-based medicines.

This is an insightful discussion for clinicians, patients, policymakers and anyone interested in the future of medical cannabis in the UK.

Watch the full webinar below.

We are pleased to announce Abir, a fourth-year medical student, as the winner of our inaugural Medical Cannabis Student Essay Competition.

The competition invited medical students to explore one of the most pressing and misunderstood issues in UK healthcare: why access to medical cannabis through the NHS remains so limited, and what wider NHS prescribing could mean in practice.

Students were asked to respond to the question:

“The prescribing of medical cannabis has been legal in the UK since 2018. Since then, there have been hundreds of thousands of prescriptions for unlicensed medical cannabis products. For a condition of your choice, evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of medical cannabis as a treatment option.”

Abir’s essay focused on endometriosis, a complex and often poorly understood chronic condition. The essay examined the limitations of current treatment pathways, including delayed diagnosis, repeated surgery and reliance on opioid prescribing, before exploring how cannabis-based medicinal products may offer a multimodal treatment option by targeting pain, inflammation, sleep and wider quality-of-life symptoms.

In his essay, Abir argues that the continued restriction of cannabis-based medicinal products within the NHS reflects a disconnect between regulation and clinical reality. He contrasts the risks and limitations of current endometriosis care, including repeated surgery and opioid prescribing, with the potential for CBMPs to offer a biologically plausible, multimodal treatment option. He also makes the case that relying too heavily on double-blind randomised controlled trials risks excluding valuable real-world evidence, and may deepen the existing two-tier system in which access is shaped by ability to pay rather than clinical need.

📝 Download and read Abir’s essay

The competition was judged by members of the Society’s committee, including Vice Chair Dr Rowan Thompson.

Dr Thompson said: “I’ve been really impressed with the quality of the submissions and I genuinely struggled to choose between two of them as my favourite. It is incredibly encouraging to see medical students engaging so critically with the evidence surrounding medical cannabis and approaching the topic with such maturity and academic rigour.”

Kate Thorpe, Director of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society, said: “All of the judges of the MCCS’s first essay competition have been blown away by the quality of the submissions. It has been fantastic to see such a high level of knowledge, insight and engagement within the student population regarding medical cannabis.”

Congratulations once again to Abir on an outstanding piece of work, and thank you to every student who took the time to enter.

The enthusiasm, knowledge and quality of this year’s submissions give us great confidence in the future of medical cannabis education and clinical practice.

The Society would also like to congratulate Taranjot Bhoot, who was awarded second place. Their essay will be published on the MCCS website shortly.

First prize includes publication of the winning essay here, a certificate of achievement, a free place on Medical Cannabis Explained: Become a Confident Prescriber, and an exclusive From Plant to Prescription educational visit to an EU GMP-licensed facility.

Supporting Medical Students

The essay competition forms part of the Society’s wider commitment to supporting the next generation of clinicians.

Alongside student membership, educational resources and the UK’s first dedicated Medical Cannabis Elective, the initiative aims to encourage evidence-based learning and informed discussion around cannabis-based medicines within undergraduate medical education.

 

Each month, we bring together the key news stories shaping the medical cannabis landscape in the UK and beyond. From policy developments and emerging research to clinical practice, patient experience and sector growth, this update highlights the issues driving debate, influencing care, and affecting access for patients and clinicians alike.

It is designed to keep our members and stakeholders informed, grounded in evidence, and connected to what matters most across this rapidly evolving field.

Increase in vapes, pastilles and oils prescribed to UK patients

New NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) data analysed by cannabis research firm Cannamonitor shows that 633,000 items were prescribed in the first seven months of 2025 alone – already around 97% of the full-year 2024 total.

Leafie reports that the amount of cannabis flower prescribed each month has grown eightfold in the last three years. However, its share of total prescribed items slipped from 84% to 83% as vapes grew 182%, pastilles jumped 131%, and oils and tinctures rose 27% on a monthly run-rate compared with 2024.

🔗 Read more

Home Office data shows UK medical cannabis imports hit 30 tonnes 

Elsewhere, Business of Cannabis reports that Canadian producers shipped 17,067kg of medical cannabis directly to the UK in 2025, more than six times the 2,578kg recorded the year before, according to the latest official Home Office data.

It comes as the total amount of cannabis flower being imported into the UK more than doubled in 2025 to 30,062kg, up from 14,992kg recorded in 2024, marking the highest annual figure in the market’s history. 

🔗 Read more

CQC concerns add to scrutiny of private medical cannabis sector

Our newly updated guidelines for best practice in medical cannabis prescribing were referenced in this report from Cannabis Health and reflect many of the concerns raised by the Care Quality Commission in its report, including the need for stronger oversight, clearer clinical accountability, and more consistent communication across services.

Chair of the MCCS, Professor Mike Barnes, said prescribing cannabis-based medicinal products requires “careful clinical judgement, a clear understanding of the evidence, and a strong awareness of professional responsibilities.”

🔗 Read more

Call for wider access to medical cannabis in women’s health conditions

The Women’s Cannabis Project has developed a new policy framework aimed at expanding access to medical cannabis for women’s health conditions across Europe. The framework is intended to support policymakers considering how women’s health conditions could be more formally integrated into medical cannabis programmes and explores how policy could evolve beyond pain and symptom management to include conditions affecting neurological regulation, sexual health, and quality of life.

🔗 Read more 

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.

The Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society is pleased to welcome ReliefTime as a Silver Education Partner, supporting the Society’s work to expand independent, evidence-based education, clinical guidance and peer support for clinicians working with medical cannabis.

ReliefTime is a Greek telemedicine platform with doctors specialised in medical cannabis, working to support patients and clinicians within the Greek legal framework. Through this new partnership, ReliefTime and the Society will work together to bring UK clinical expertise, education and professional insight closer to healthcare professionals in Greece.

The partnership reflects a shared commitment to responsible medical cannabis education, safe clinical practice and better-informed patient care.

Panagiotis Papatheologou, Co-Founder and CEO at ReliefTime, said:

“At Relief, we believe patients deserve access to informed, responsible and evidence-based medical guidance. That’s why we are proud to partner with UKMCCS, one of the UK’s leading networks of medical cannabis clinicians.

Together, we aim to bring global clinical expertise closer to Greece, supporting doctors with international education and helping patients access guidance that is safe, legal and scientifically grounded.

This partnership brings international clinical expertise, medical education aligned with high professional standards, responsible guidance within the Greek legal framework, and a more informed and accessible care experience.”

The Society’s education partnerships support the development of practical resources, training and guidance that clinicians can use in day-to-day practice. This includes CPD-accredited education, webinars, clinical updates, evidence-based publications and opportunities for peer support across the Society’s growing network.

Professor Mike Barnes, Chair of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society, said:

“We are delighted to welcome ReliefTime as a Silver Education Partner of the Society. Education is central to safe and responsible medical cannabis care. Clinicians need access to high-quality, evidence-based training, practical guidance and peer support if they are to prescribe and advise patients with confidence.

This partnership is an important opportunity to share UK clinical experience more widely and support doctors in Greece as they develop their understanding of medical cannabis within their own legal and professional framework. We look forward to working with ReliefTime to promote informed, responsible and patient-centred care.”

Medical cannabis continues to develop rapidly as a clinical field, both in the UK and internationally. As patient interest grows, so does the need for clear, balanced and evidence-based education for healthcare professionals.

The Society remains committed to supporting clinicians with the knowledge, confidence and professional support they need to practise safely and responsibly. Partnerships such as this help extend that work, creating opportunities for international learning, collaboration and better clinical understanding.

Partner with the Society

Supporting the Society helps expand independent, evidence-based education, clinical guidance and peer support for clinicians working with medical cannabis.

It enables the development of practical resources, training and guidance that clinicians can use in day-to-day practice, helping to improve consistency, safety and confidence in prescribing.

For organisations exploring medical cannabis partnership opportunities in the UK or internationally, the Society provides a clear and transparent way to engage with a growing network of prescribers and healthcare professionals, while contributing to better-informed, safer patient care across the sector.

To find out more about becoming an Education Partner or supporting the Society’s work, please contact the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society.

 

Each month, we bring together the key news stories shaping the medical cannabis landscape in the UK and beyond. From policy developments and emerging research to clinical practice, patient experience and sector growth, this update highlights the issues driving debate, influencing care, and affecting access for patients and clinicians alike.

It is designed to keep our members and stakeholders informed, grounded in evidence, and connected to what matters most across this rapidly evolving field.

Welsh Liberal Democrats pass motion to protect cannabis patients

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have passed a motion which aims to safeguard medical cannabis patients and protect them from discrimination. The party voted overwhelmingly to approve the motion, brought by Clwyd East and Flintshire Liberal Democrats, with Flintshire County Council becoming the first local authority to adopt the policy this month. It aims to safeguard patients prescribed cannabis-based medicines in the UK and address the stigma and discrimination many report experiencing related to their medication, including from police, housing associations, and employers.

🔗 Read more

Ireland to review of medical cannabis programme

The Irish government has appointed a public health academic to chair a formal review of its now five-year-old Medical Cannabis Access Programme (MCAP) following months of parliamentary pressure. Despite launching in 2021, a recent written ministerial answer reveals that less than 100 patients have been approved for medical cannabis treatment under the MCAP scheme.

Professor Shane Allwright, a retired Trinity College Dublin epidemiologist, will lead the Review of Access to Cannabis for Medical Use, set to examine the current operation of both the MCAP and the ministerial licence pathway, and assess whether the programme’s narrow eligibility criteria should be expanded.

🔗 Read more

CIC launches new guidance for travelling with medical cannabis

The Cannabis Industry Council has published a new patient-focused guide, Travelling with Medical Cannabis, offering practical advice for UK patients navigating the complex and often inconsistent rules around travelling with prescribed medical cannabis. Differences in legal frameworks, inconsistent enforcement, and limited awareness among authorities and transport providers have created significant challenges for patients relying on their medication. The CIC is calling for increased education among airlines, law enforcement, and border authorities to ensure patients are treated fairly and consistently. The guide is now available to download for free here.  

🔗 Read more

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.

Cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) have been legal to prescribe in the UK since November 2018. Since then, an estimated 95,000 patients have received prescriptions, supported by around 160 prescribers across approximately 40 private clinics. Despite this growth, NHS prescribing remains extremely limited. At the same time, the absence of mandatory training and consistently applied clinical standards has led to variation in practice across the sector.

The Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society (MCCS) has today published an updated version of its Good Practice Guide for Prescribers of CBMPs. This guidance is intended to support clinicians in making safe decisions and strengthen consistent prescribing in a developing area of medicine. It draws on the collective experience of the Society’s multidisciplinary membership, committee and executive, reflecting real-world prescribing across a wide range of clinical settings.

➡️ Download the new Guidance

The Society’s position 

Medical cannabis can be a safe and effective treatment option for selected patients, particularly where conventional therapies have been unsuccessful, when prescribed within a structured clinical framework with appropriate assessment, decision-making and follow-up.

Prescribing must meet the same standards expected of any other unlicensed medicine. Consistent application of these standards is essential to minimise risk for patients and maintain confidence in the sector. This guidance aims to define good practice, based on real-world clinical experience and supported by existing regulatory expectations.

Central to this is clinical responsibility. Prescribing decisions sit with the clinician. They must be justified, based on appropriate assessment, and always remain in the patient’s best interest. This includes independent decision-making and full accountability for documentation, monitoring and outcomes.

This guidance does not replace clinical judgement or existing regulatory frameworks. Medical cannabis remains an individualised treatment, and decisions must be made on a case-by-case basis. The aim is to support safe access to treatment while ensuring prescribing remains clinically appropriate, accountable and evidence informed.

A structured approach within existing regulation

The Good Practice Guide provides a practical framework covering:

These are standard principles of medical practice. The purpose of the guide is to apply them clearly and consistently to cannabis-based medicines. It reflects established principles already recognised by the Society, including careful patient selection, multidisciplinary input where appropriate, and thorough documentation of prescribing decisions.

This guidance sits alongside existing regulatory frameworks. Clinicians must continue to work within the standards set by the General Medical Council, Care Quality Commission, MHRA and NICE. CBMPs remain unlicensed “specials”, and prescribing carries the same responsibilities as any other unlicensed medicine.

The role of the Good Practice Guide is to translate these high-level requirements into practical, day-to-day clinical application, providing clarity on how regulatory expectations apply in the context of medical cannabis.

The Society is committed to working with regulators to support alignment, share clinical expertise and contribute to the development of clear, proportionate and workable oversight as the sector continues to evolve.

Safety in context

Medical cannabis has a favourable safety profile when prescribed appropriately. However, it is not risk-free and requires active clinical oversight. The updated guidance places clear emphasis on risk identification and management. Clinicians are expected to assess, monitor and manage:

Prescribing should follow a cautious, structured approach. This includes starting at low doses, titrating gradually, and maintaining regular follow-up to assess response and tolerability, consistent with established prescribing principles.

What the Good Practice Guide (V4) covers

Raising standards in a developing field

“Prescribing cannabis-based medicinal products requires careful clinical judgment, a strong understanding of the evidence, and a clear grasp of professional responsibilities. This guide provides the structure and support clinicians need to practise safely, lawfully and in the best interests of their patients.”
— Professor Mike Barnes, Chair, Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society

Medical cannabis remains a developing area of medicine. The evidence base continues to evolve, clinical experience is expanding, and expectations around governance are becoming more defined.

The updated guidance provides clinicians with a clear framework for safe, accountable prescribing, and offers reassurance to patients, regulators and the public that medical cannabis is being prescribed within a structured, professionally governed system.

As the sector matures, consistent standards matter. This guidance sets a clear direction for safe, responsible prescribing across the sector.

The MCCS expects this Good Practice Guide to be adopted by prescribers and across clinics, supporting a consistent approach that prioritises patient safety and quality of care. This will help raise standards across clinical practice and the wider sector.

Access the Guide

The Good Practice Guide for Prescribers of CBMPs is available now for all.

If you’re not yet a member, join today to access our growing library of practical tools, prescribing guidance, training, and peer support.

➡️ Download the new Guidance

👉 Find out more and join the Society

Each month, we bring together the key news stories shaping the medical cannabis landscape in the UK and beyond. From policy developments and emerging research to clinical practice, patient experience and sector growth, this update highlights the issues driving debate, influencing care, and affecting access for patients and clinicians alike.

It is designed to keep our members and stakeholders informed, grounded in evidence, and connected to what matters most across this rapidly evolving field.

New medical cannabis campaign launched in memory of Hannah Deacon

Labour MP and long-time medical cannabis advocate, Tonia Antoniazzi, is spearheading a new campaign launched in memory of Hannah Deacon, the mother of Alfie Dingley, who campaigned for the legalisation of medical cannabis in 2018, and went onto co-found the MCCS. Hannah died of cancer last year, aged 45. 

Tonia has called on the government to fund a new observational trial to support children with drug-resistant epilepsy, who are still unable to access medical cannabis on the NHS. The proposed study would run alongside two previously announced NHS-funded randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on medical cannabis and epilepsy, which are being conducted by researchers at UCL. It would allow children who are currently prescribed the treatment privately to continue accessing it at no cost, while real-world data is collected.

🔗 Read more

Patient Protect to support medical cannabis patients facing discrimination

A new UK-wide service supporting medical cannabis patients who face discrimination has launched to fill gaps left by the absence of systematic government support. Patient Protect was founded by patient advocate Alex Fraser and cannabis lawyer Robert Jappie. The service provides guidance, advocacy, and case support for patients encountering issues across policing, employment, housing, and driving-related matters, aiming to collate incidents nationally to build a legal evidence base for systemic reform.

🔗 Read more

Ananda commences NHS-funded endometriosis trial

Ananda Pharma has cleared the final regulatory hurdle needed to begin its ENDOCAN Phase 2 clinical trial, receiving approval from the MHRA and NHS Health Research Authority to commence dosing of its proprietary MRX1 CBD oral solution in women with endometriosis-associated pain.

The milestone marks a significant step forward for a trial that has been in development for several years. The double-blind, placebo-controlled study, led by global endometriosis experts at the University of Edinburgh and funded by the Chief Scientist Office, will include up to 100 women across NHS Lothian and NHS Grampian in Scotland over a 12-week treatment period.

🔗 Read more

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.

Recent reporting, including in today’s The Times, has raised a number of important questions about medical cannabis prescribing in the UK. These include prescribing volumes, use in psychiatric conditions, product strength, and the death of Oliver Robinson. These are serious issues and require careful, balanced consideration.

The role of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society is not to defend or speak for clinics or to promote prescribing. Our role is to support clinicians to practise safely, improve standards, and contribute to the development of a responsible, evidence-informed model of care in a complex and evolving area of medicine.

This article sets out our position.

On the tragic death of Oliver Robinson 

The death of Oliver Robinson was tragic and deeply concerning. Following the publication of the Coroner’s Prevention of Future Deaths Report, we undertook a full review of the findings. This has directly informed a substantial revision of our Good Practice Guidance, due for publication April 2026. The updated guidance strengthens expectations across:

Where standards need to be strengthened, they should be. We would welcome these expectations being adopted more formally within regulatory frameworks to support consistent, high-quality care across the sector.

On psychiatric prescribing and THC content

Prescribing in psychiatric contexts requires particular care.

Treatment is individualised and typically begins with lower-risk approaches, such as CBD-dominant or balanced products, with gradual titration and close monitoring. The aim is to manage symptoms while minimising psychoactive effects and associated risks. 

Higher THC products are not first-line in psychiatric care. Where they are used, this should be based on clear clinical rationale, within a structured specialist framework, and with appropriate oversight. The MCCS Good Practice Guidance advises that prescribing products with THC levels above 25% should involve peer review through a multidisciplinary team.

In some cases, higher THC products may be appropriate. However, presenting their use as routine in mental health care does not reflect standard clinical practice.

On prescribing numbers and growth 

Reporting focused on the number of clinicians responsible for a proportion of prescriptions. It is not appropriate for us too draw conclusions about individual clinicians based on anonymised, aggregate data without clinical context.

Prescribing data reported as “items” does not equate to patient numbers, consultation volume, or complexity of care. For example:

Care in this area is often delivered through structured models, with specialist assessment followed by ongoing prescribing and monitoring, frequently supported by wider clinical teams through shared care. These factors are not captured in headline figures. Aggregate prescribing data alone is not a reliable indicator of care quality or clinical practice.

We recognise the significant growth in prescribing and see this as reflecting sustained patient demand, particularly from people with chronic, treatment-resistant conditions such as pain, anxiety and children with resistant epilepsy who have not found adequate relief from conventional therapies.

This demand sits within a wider system context. Many patients are turning to private care because they are unable to access timely support through the NHS, with long waiting lists, including around 1.7 million people waiting for mental health services, contributing to this shift. Clinicians are responding where standard treatments have not worked, rather than as a first-line approach. 

Clarifying the role of the Society

[*14:21 The Times updated the story to reflect our role accurately]

The Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society has been described as representing private clinics or acting as a trade body. This is not correct.

We are an independent, clinician-led, not-for-profit organisation. We do not represent clinics or commercial providers. Our members are individual healthcare professionals, including consultants, GPs, pharmacists, nurses, and allied health professionals working across a range of settings.

Our role is to support safe, consistent, and evidence-informed prescribing in an area of medicine that has developed without a formal national clinical framework since legalisation in 2018.

This includes:

Clinical responsibility sits with individual prescribers and the organisations in which they work.

Working collaboratively to improve standards

Medical cannabis prescribing in the UK remains a developing area of practice. It requires ongoing scrutiny, transparency, and a willingness to strengthen standards where needed.

We will continue to work with clinicians, regulators, patient groups, and other stakeholders to support the development of clear, consistent, and robust clinical frameworks.

Our focus is unchanged: to support safe, evidence-informed care, and to ensure that patients who may benefit from these treatments can access them within a well-governed clinical system.