The Pharmacist’s Role in Medical Cannabis Care

This role-based course is designed for pharmacists who want to understand their role in medical cannabis care in the UK, whether they are dispensing cannabis-based medicinal products, supporting patients in community or specialist pharmacy settings, or working as independent prescribers under shared care.

As access to cannabis-based medicinal products grows, pharmacists are increasingly involved in the safe supply, clinical screening and ongoing support of patients using these medicines. CBPMs sit within a complex legal, regulatory and clinical framework, and pharmacists need clear, practical knowledge to dispense safely, identify risks, answer patient questions, and work effectively with prescribing clinicians.

The course explains the pharmacist’s role across two distinct but connected areas: safe dispensing of CBPMs and practice as a pharmacist prescriber. Not all pharmacists will prescribe, but all pharmacists may encounter medical cannabis in practice, whether through prescriptions, patient enquiries, medication reviews, interaction checks, or conversations about CBD products and private prescribing.

Learners will explore the UK medical cannabis prescribing framework, including the difference between licensed and unlicensed CBPMs, NHS and private pathways, Schedule 2 controlled drug requirements, prescription validity, controlled drug records, private CD prescription forms, patient choice, and pharmacy governance. The course also covers the practical requirements for safe supply, including clinical checks, product types, routes of administration, labelling, counselling, adverse event reporting and record keeping.

For pharmacist independent prescribers, the course introduces how prescribing may work within a structured clinical framework. This includes specialist initiation, shared care, follow-up prescribing, dose and formulation review, monitoring outcomes and side effects, communication with the initiating specialist, and recognising when treatment should be paused, escalated or reviewed.

The course also explores the pharmacist’s place in the wider patient journey, from early patient enquiries and referral to specialist assessment, through to ongoing monitoring and shared care once treatment is stable. Learners will consider how pharmacists can support safe, evidence-based and non-judgemental conversations with patients, particularly where patients are already using cannabis informally to manage symptoms.

By the end of the course, pharmacists will have a clear, practical understanding of their role in medical cannabis care, from safe dispensing and patient counselling through to shared care, pharmacist prescribing, clinical governance and long-term patient support.