History

Cannabis (and hemp) cultivation and use have undergone eras of both prosperity and restriction in the United Kingdom. It was cultivated for centuries throughout the UK, and at times the monarchy even mandated hemp production. Hemp fibre was used to make ship sails and other heavy-strength fabrics. 

In the UK, the hemp plant has been subject to various hyperbolic regulations depending on the political climate and time period. Under the order of monarchs like King Henry VII and Queen Elizabeth I, hemp was an incredibly important plant that British farmers were required to grow by law to sustain both the country and the Navy.

Cannabis prohibition in the UK has developed from the 1928 ban through the Misuse of Drugs Act and into today’s tightly controlled framework. This blog explains why cannabis became illegal, how the law has changed, and why it remains restricted despite medical use being legal since 2018.

The rich history of medical cannabis can be found in some of the earth’s earliest records, where the plant appears under a variety of names (depending on the text's original language). Dating back over 4,000 years, records from ancient China to the modern day repeatedly reference the medical potential and associated benefits of the cannabis plant on the human body.