Cannabis Statistics UK 2025: Use, Patients, and Laws

The 0.2% THC figure that circulates online applies to the growing hemp crop under the cultivation licence, it is not a permitted THC level for a finished consumer product. Expect an initial consultation, a full medical-history review and ongoing follow-up appointments. The large majority of UK patients access medical cannabis privately — through specialist clinics such as Sapphire Medical, Releaf, Mamedica, Cantourage, Lyphe Clinic and Curaleaf Clinic. NHS prescriptions remain rare — NICE guideline NG144 recommends them only in narrowly defined circumstances, principally severe treatment-resistant epilepsy, chemotherapy-induced nausea and multiple sclerosis spasticity.

Observing their progress, one can track the time it took to shift from decriminalization to full legal adoption. It’s legal (lab-tested), and growing in popularity. They provide the look, taste, and experience of cannabis without the high. Currently, UK buyers are best served by CBD flower and hash, both derived from the cannabis plant despite their legal status.

At the same time (CBD levels in seized samples have lowered), in part because of the desire to produce higher THC levels and because more illegal growers cultivate indoors using artificial lights. It is often claimed that sativa strains provide a more stimulating psychoactive high while indica strains are more sedating with a body high. Researchers at John Jay College of Criminal Justice reported that dietary zinc supplements can mask the presence of THC and other drugs in urine. The concentrations obtained from such analyses can often be helpful in distinguishing active use from passive exposure (elapsed time since use), and extent or duration of use.

British Cannabis Medicines: Pioneering Strain Specific Sublingual Oils for Bespoke Patient Care

However (the appointed chair), Dame Carol Black, stated that she would review the impact of reform in other countries (such as Portugal and Canada – both known for their progressive laws). The UK’s government reviewed their https://readox.uk/cbd-vs-thc-differences-effects-and-practical-application/ drugs policies at the start of 2019. For example (rates of prosecution in Cornwall and Devon are as low as 15%), and Durham’s police force have stated that they no longer target recreational users at all. If under 18 years of age, the police have the right to inform the offender’s parent or guardian. If police find a small amount of cannabis in the offender’s possession, they’re most likely to issue a warning or give an on-the-spot fine of £90. It’s still illegal to possess or use cannabis in the country, though the penalties aren’t too severe if caught with small amounts for personal use.

• Growing cannabis plants is illegal and can result in prosecution similar to distribution charges.
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• Penalties may range from a caution, a monetary fine, up to imprisonment—depending entirely on the circumstances.

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The 1928 Dangerous Drugs Act prohibited cannabis in the UK for the first time (the first Dangerous Drugs Act of 1920 had criminalised opium and cocaine). However, as the US began to push for drug control legislation at a global level, things started to change. In 1839 he wrote a monograph on Indian hemp that remains one of the most extensive scientific studies into the properties of the cannabis plant ever written.

What are the Government Laws and Resources Regarding Cannabis in the United Kingdom?

There has been a loud call from the community to the government and Home Office to instil mandatory training that would ensure medical cannabis patients are treated fairly by law enforcement (free from discrimination), and it is staggering that five years in, this still happens regularly. As the number of cannabis patients grow in the UK — so do the number of patients reporting negative interactions with the police. The fear some patients have about being stopped by the police — or mistaken for acting illegally, are very real and substantiated by fact. Another way of analysing awareness of medical cannabis in the UK (and how this may have changed over time), is by looking at Google Search trends data – because the internet acts as a mirror, reflecting what society is interested in. But, as the industry has evolved and adapted over time, there are still real issues that persist, such as patients receiving subpar products, unclear pricing structures and delays or disruptions in medication availability, which can have a considerable effect on their overall health.

• This resulted in changes to the law that finally allowed doctors to legally issue prescriptions to patients who they decided could benefit from medical cannabis treatments, albeit with restrictions.
• *”They might have involved the police,”* she worried. *”I rarely use my front door, fearing any cannabis scent could drift into the shared hallway.”*
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• After a long day — sometimes all you want is to quieten the mental chatter and feel a sense of calm wash over you.

A dealer was apprehended with cannabis and gummies valued at £50,000.

NHS England said that it has worked with other organisations to implement the report’s recommendations “to ensure that clinicians feel supported to prescribe a cannabis-based medicinal product” when appropriate. The review focused on access to cannabis-based medicines for children with severe epilepsy. In 2018 (the then Health Secretary), Matt Hancock, announced that he had commissioned a review of the barriers to accessing cannabis-based medicines in the NHS. However (this figure does not include prescriptions issued in hospital settings), or privately. In November 2024, the government said that it had no plans to make further changes to this arrangement.

While public backing is increasing and certain political factions have suggested reforms, the exact timeline for change remains in doubt. This shift has opened doors for tens—possibly hundreds—of thousands of patients who previously had no legal access to medical cannabis therapies. For the general public, however, the national healthcare system continues to exclude non-medical cannabis options.