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7 min read
Sam North
Medical cannabis has recently hit the big time here in the UK.
Although it's been legal for just over six years (since November 2018), the general public's understanding of this has been surprisingly lacking. That is, until now.
Thanks to fresh changes, awareness has been pushed into overdrive. Billboards advertising the UK's access to legal medical cannabis are popping up, mainstream media outlets are starting to highlighting the positive impact it's having on patients (and their families), and the number of medical professionals prescribing it is steadily increasing.
One of the more major recent developments is that UK patients now, for the very first time, have access to UK-grown medical cannabis, thanks to the partnership between Releaf and Glass Pharms®. This means that our patients no longer need to rely on imported products, helping to cut costs, reduce emissions, and fix the supply issues that have plagued the UK medical cannabis sector since its inception.
By offering our patients access to locally grown medical cannabis flower, we are not only supporting the UK's economy, but also ensuring that our patients receive high-quality products that meet the strict regulatory standards set out by the Home Office and the MHRA.
We sat down with our Clinical Team leadership group and our Chief Operating Officer, Graham Woodward, to pick their brains on the benefits and potential of UK-grown medical cannabis, and the medical cannabis sector more generally.
Here's what they had to say...
Dr Alex Van Heerden, one of our specialist doctors, chimed in first.
"This collaboration has been a fantastic step forward for our clinic. The most important outcome is that we can provide quality products that meet our very high standards."
"We can be assured of our supply - as many of our patients come off their medicines prescribed by their GPs, they need a reliable and consistent source of medical cannabis to meet their health needs. It is also noteworthy that Glass Pharms is carbon-neutral, and we are proud to contribute to the fight against climate change."
Dr David Tang, our Clinical Director, also added:
"The key aspect of UK-grown medical cannabis is there is no stop-start nature to the pipeline of medications."
"The vast majority of non-UK-grown cultivars become popular for a few months and then are never heard of again or take some time to reappear on pharmacy shelves. Anything that is medicine cannot supply issues like this and still be taken seriously by medical professionals."
Dr Hanna Gul, Releaf's quality and research lead, answered:
"Yes - there has definitely been heightened interest in Releaf's products following the article in The Sunday Times and when discussing treatment options with individual patients. People are keen to try the products due to their high quality and the knowledge that the supply chain is consistent."
"Overall, patient satisfaction has been very high. I look forward to offering a broader range of cultivars with varying THC and CBD concentrations to our patients in the near future."
Our Chief Operating Officer, Graham Woodward, had this to say:
"The overwhelming majority of patient feedback regarding the Releaf/Glass Pharms® produced cultivars has been very positive."
"The fact that patients who were before having to either wait for their prescription or switch to another option due to supply chain issues can now have a consistent and reliable supply of top-quality locally grown medical cannabis has been a really important step forward."
Dr Van Heerden is approved to prescribe medical cannabis for a range of conditions as an emergency consultant, and had some great insight here:
"One of the major advantages of medical cannabis is that specific symptoms can be treated by different types or cultivars of cannabis. We have a large array of products available, and we are experts in matching those specific products to our patient's symptoms."
"The make-up of a cannabis-based medication (the terpene and cannabinoid profile) is hugely important when we consider the conditions we treat, and can result in incredible outcomes when applied appropriately to treating patients with different conditions. This is the art of medical cannabis and the most rewarding aspect of a doctor's job, where we can see such great results for our patients."
Graham Woodward added to this with:
"The country where the medical cannabis is grown doesn't directly affect the quality, but the time it takes to get to the UK can play a role, as can the regulatory oversight in the source country."
"Dried medical cannabis flower is an organic product, and if it hasn't been stored and transported correctly, it can degrade and lose potency.
The level of regulation and oversight in the UK is among the strictest in the world, and while all imported medical cannabis options do have to meet the MHRA's standards, having Releaf and Glass Pharms® supply locally grown cultivars means we can offer our patients' assurance that their medicine has been handled with care from seed to delivery."
Graham also answered this one for us:
“I expect to see the range of products being made available to patients to increase dramatically, and a real push from not just Glass Pharms® but all companies developing UK-based medical cannabis."
"It is looking likely that, by the end of 2025, the GMC will allow General Practitioners, who are working with private medical cannabis clinics like Releaf, to be given the legal ability to start prescribing medical cannabis options. At the moment, only certain specialists can prescribe medical cannabis, which has somewhat limited patient access”
"And all these small changes - the increased access to locally grown medical cannabis, the increased variety of products, the potential for GPs to get involved - they will all combine, and slowly we will see medical cannabis becoming just more of an ‘everyday’ part of normal healthcare options for patients battling a wide range of conditions and their related symptoms."
Concrete figures are a little hard to come by, but a 2023 report estimated that there were 47,000 patients. The same report anticipated that this number could more than double by the end of 2024.
Specialists at private medical cannabis clinics in the UK can legally prescribe medical cannabis for most conditions if they believe the benefits outweigh the risks, and as long as the patient has already tried at least two conventional treatment options that didn't work.
The NHS is only willing to prescribe medical cannabis in exceptional cases, such as for severe epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and chemo-induced nausea or vomiting. Even then, historically, prescriptions through the NHS have been very rare.
No, recreational cannabis is a Class B drug in the UK. Medical cannabis is a fully legal treatment option and has been since November 2018.
If you would like to learn more about everything UK medical cannabis, head over to our blog and education section.
It is important to seek medical advice before starting any new treatments. The patient advisors at Releaf are available to provide expert advice and support. Alternatively, click here to book a consultation with one of our specialist doctors.
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Am I eligible?Sam North, a seasoned writer with over five years' experience and expertise in medicinal cannabis, brings clarity to complex concepts, focusing on education and informed use.
All of our articles are written by medical cannabis experts, guided by strict sourcing guidelines, and reference peer-reviewed studies and credible academic research. Our expert clinical team and compliance specialists provide valuable insights to ensure accuracy when required. Learn more in our editorial policy.
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