Five years after medical cannabis was legalised in the UK, an exclusive investigation by The Independent reveals a healthcare system in crisis, with thousands of patients being denied treatment and forced to seek relief through private clinics or even the illegal market.
The Prescription Gap
Despite being legalised in November 2018, NHS prescriptions for medical cannabis remain exceptionally rare outside of specialist paediatric epilepsy treatments. New data analysis shows that while over 89,000 people received private prescriptions between 2018 and 2023, NHS prescriptions for chronic pain and other common conditions number in the mere hundreds.
Patients Left in Limbo
Chronic pain sufferers and women experiencing severe menopause symptoms are among those most affected. Many report being caught between NHS doctors unwilling to prescribe and the financial burden of private treatment, which can cost thousands of pounds annually.
"I was faced with the choice of breaking the law or suffering," one chronic pain patient told investigators. "The NHS offered me opioids that made me feel worse, but refused to consider cannabis-based treatments that I knew could help."
The Regulatory Barrier
Medical experts point to restrictive guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as a primary barrier. These guidelines effectively block NHS doctors from prescribing cannabis for chronic pain, citing insufficient evidence from randomised controlled trials.
Real-World Evidence Ignored
Meanwhile, clinicians specialising in cannabis medicine argue that abundant real-world evidence and patient testimony is being disregarded. Dr Mikael Sodergren, head of the Medical Cannabis Research Group at Imperial College London, states: "We have thousands of patients in the UK who are clearly benefiting from this treatment. The evidence is there - we just need the medical establishment to acknowledge it."
The Private Sector Solution
The treatment gap has spawned a growing private medical cannabis industry, with clinics reporting exponential growth. However, this creates a two-tier system where only those who can afford private care access treatment, while others risk criminalisation by turning to the illegal market.
Call for Reform
Patient advocacy groups are demanding urgent action, calling for:
- Revised NICE guidelines incorporating real-world evidence
- Improved education for NHS clinicians about cannabis medicines
- Increased NHS funding for medical cannabis treatments
- More UK-based clinical research into cannabis efficacy
As one menopause patient summarised: "We're not asking for special treatment - just access to medicine that's been legally available for five years. The current situation is a national embarrassment."
