MCCS position statement on the Oliver Robinson inquest
February 5, 2026 | IN INFORMATION | BY Kate ThorpeThe Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society (MCCS) acknowledges the coroner’s findings following the inquest into the death of Oliver Robinson and recognises the profound loss experienced by his family. This was a tragic case involving severe and complex mental ill-health. The coroner concluded that Mr Robinson’s death was multifactorial and that a prescription of medical cannabis formed part of the causal chain.
Given the wider implications for patients and clinicians, MCCS considers it important to set out the clinical context clearly for the more than 80,000 patients in the UK currently receiving prescribed medical cannabis. Medicinal cannabis has been legally available on prescription in the UK since 2018 and is used where conventional treatments have not provided adequate benefit or have caused unacceptable harm. As with any controlled medicine, patient safety depends on robust assessment, appropriate prescribing, active monitoring, and effective clinical governance.
The prescribing decisions examined by the inquest relate to clinical practice in 2022-2023. Since that time, professional standards, governance arrangements, and clinical guidance for cannabis-based medicinal products (CBPMs) have continued to develop. Many of the concerns identified by the coroner are now explicitly addressed in the MCCS Good Practice Guide for Prescribers of CBPMs (published July 2025, updated November 2025), including expectations around patient selection, multidisciplinary oversight, documentation, and communication with other treating clinicians.
The issues highlighted by the inquest reinforce core principles that apply to all prescribing, and which are particularly important for CBPMs. These include obtaining a complete medical and psychiatric history, careful assessment of substance use and dependency, clear documentation of rationale and treatment goals, active monitoring for adverse effects, and appropriate communication with the patient’s wider treating team where clinically relevant and with consent. Prescribers must work within their scope of competence and seek specialist input for complex presentations.
The position of the MCCS is clear that medical cannabis is not appropriate for all patients. It should not be prescribed in cases of severe or unstable mental illness without exceptional justification and robust safeguards. A prescription for medical cannabis does not legitimise continued illicit cannabis use and concurrent use introduces significant and unmanaged clinical risk.
CBPMs are not first-line treatments for depressive illness. Where they are considered in patients with mental health conditions, prescribing must be cautious, clearly justified, and supported by strong safeguards, particularly in the presence of diagnostic uncertainty, suicidality, or evidence of dependency.
MCCS also recognises that some patients present already using illicit cannabis, sometimes at relatively high daily volumes. In selected cases, clinicians may judge that a carefully controlled prescription forms part of a harm-reduction and risk-minimisation approach, allowing known product composition, dose control, monitoring, and engagement with wider care. This is not equivalent to legitimising recreational use or dependency, and should only proceed with clear documentation, defined clinical goals, active efforts to reduce risk, and regular review. Where these conditions cannot be met, prescribing should not continue.
This case underlines the importance of careful assessment, clear clinical boundaries, and consistent application of good practice. It does not undermine the role of medical cannabis as a legitimate treatment when prescribed appropriately, within scope, and with the necessary safeguards in place.
MCCS exists to support safe, evidence-informed prescribing. MCCS will continue to support clinicians through clear guidance, education, and peer support, and will reflect learning from this case in ongoing training to promote safe, responsible prescribing and protect patient safety.
The MCCS comprises over 500 clinicians from across the UK and internationally, including specialist consultants, GPs, resident doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, pharmacist and medical students.