Following the publication of an article in the Mail on Sunday discussing how families are being forced into debt by the state of NHS medicinal cannabis prescriptions in the UK, the CTA is issuing this statement to ensure clarity and accuracy on the subject.
The article highlights the unintended consequences of the UK’s 2018 medical cannabis legalisation, focusing on Fallon Levy, a woman with severe epilepsy, whose family has struggled to access life-changing treatment on the NHS.
Despite the legalisation of medical cannabis for “exceptional circumstances,” the NHS has denied Fallon access to Bedrolite, a specialist cannabis-based epilepsy drug, arguing that alternative treatments are available - claims her family dispute. In contrast, private cannabis clinics have proliferated, prescribing cannabis for conditions such as ADHD, anxiety, and insomnia, raising concerns that the law change has been exploited for commercial gain.
Fallon’s mother, Elaine Gennard, has been forced to travel to the Netherlands monthly to procure the drug illegally, spending over £100,000 and selling her home to afford treatment. She criticises pro-cannabis campaigners, claiming they used families like hers to push for legalisation and then capitalised on the law change by setting up private clinics.
The article raises concerns about the rapid expansion of the private cannabis industry in the UK, with prescriptions doubling in the past year to 180,000, and an estimated market value of £400 million. Experts argue that many clinics prescribe whole-leaf cannabis products, which have not been clinically tested or approved like pharmaceutical formulations such as Epidyolex.
Medical experts and government advisers warn that the UK is following the US and Canadian models, where medical cannabis legalisation has contributed to increased recreational use and a rise in mental health issues. A former government adviser, Professor Trevor Jones, has warned that the UK’s private market “increasingly appears to be a pseudo-recreational” one.
Response from the Cannabis Trades Association (CTA):
Marika Graham-Woods, Executive Director of the CTA, defended private clinics, arguing that they provide safe and regulated access to cannabis-based medicine, preventing patients from turning to unregulated street sources. She urged efforts to remove NHS prescribing barriers rather than attacking private providers.
The article concludes by highlighting that despite legalisation, NHS access to medical cannabis remains extremely limited, leaving families like Fallon Levy’s in a desperate financial and legal limbo.
CTA’s Original Response in Full
The CTA acknowledges the concerns raised regarding medicinal cannabis prescriptions in the UK and the challenges faced by families of children seeking NHS access to treatment. However, it is important to clarify the realities of the current system and dispel misconceptions about the private sector’s role in patient access.
The NHS and Access to Medicinal Cannabis
The legalisation of medicinal cannabis in 2018 was intended to allow children with specific conditions access to treatment under specialist doctor supervision. However, the reality is that the NHS has largely failed to implement this change effectively. There remains a significant reluctance from NHS doctors to prescribe, primarily due to restrictive guidelines set by bodies such as the BMA, NIHR, NICE, and the British Paediatric Neurology Association (BPNA). This has left many families with no option but to seek private prescriptions.
Rather than blaming private clinics, the real issue lies in the lack of NHS engagement and support for clinicians who want to prescribe but face systemic barriers. Until NHS policy shifts to reflect the lived experiences of patients, private access will continue to be the only viable option for many.
The Role of the Private Sector
The private sector has stepped in where the NHS has failed, providing access to legal and regulated medicinal cannabis treatments. These clinics operate under strict regulations by the MHRA and provide vital care for thousands of patients who would otherwise have no access to treatment.
Rather than “making a mockery of the law,” telemedicine through private clinics became available online as a result of COVID, allowing doctors to conduct online consultations with patients. This has enabled many individuals to achieve life-changing improvements in their conditions and has prevented them from self-medicating with potentially harmful non-regulated cannabis from illegal suppliers.
Private healthcare exists across all areas of medicine - dental treatment, physiotherapy, chiropody, and more - not just cannabis. It is misleading to single out this sector as exploitative when it is providing a service that the NHS should be delivering. The focus should be on ensuring equitable NHS access rather than criticising private providers for meeting an unmet medicinal need.
Claims of ‘Recreational Legalisation’
The claim that medicinal cannabis prescribing is a backdoor route to legalisation is both inaccurate and unhelpful. Every prescription must be written by a specialist doctor following a thorough assessment, and patients are required to have an established medicinal need, unmet by the NHS, before receiving treatment.
Furthermore, medicinal cannabis prescriptions are issued for a wide range of conditions, including chronic pain, epilepsy, anxiety/PTSD, nausea during chemotherapy, and multiple sclerosis, where synthetic pharmaceutical medications are less effective or have failed. To conflate this with recreational use is misleading and ignores the rigorous clinical oversight involved in medicinal prescribing.
The Need for More Data
We fully support calls for more robust data collection and research into medicinal cannabis treatments. However, it is important to note that the lack of large-scale UK data is a direct result of the restrictive regulatory framework. The UK Government and regulators must do more to facilitate research and ensure that real-world patient outcomes are reflected in clinical guidelines.
The CTA has long advocated for a more evidence-based approach to medicinal cannabis, including improved data collection, better clinician education, and clearer prescribing frameworks. We welcome a review of medicinal cannabis prescribing, provided it is conducted with the goal of improving patient access rather than restricting it further.
The CQC Review Context
The CQC’s review of medicinal cannabis clinics should be seen as an opportunity to enhance patient care and ensure best practices across the sector, rather than an indication of wrongdoing. The CQC would not permit clinics to open and operate without robust monitoring.
This week, Curaleaf announced that they had been reviewed by the CQC and had, once again, been “pleased to remain the highest rated medical cannabis clinic having retained its 'Outstanding' rating in the 'Well-led' category and a ‘Good’ overall.”
The CTA supports transparency and accountability in medicinal cannabis prescribing and believes that constructive regulation benefits both patients and practitioners.
Ensuring the Right Narrative
The conversation around medicinal cannabis must always be evidence-based. Double-blind trials cannot be carried out on children, as those receiving a placebo would be harmed.
The reality is that thousands of individuals rely on these treatments to manage chronic and debilitating conditions. Rather than attacking private clinics, efforts should be made to address NHS prescribing barriers, improve data collection, and ensure that no patient is left without the care they need.
The CTA remains committed to advocating for fair, regulated, and accessible medicinal cannabis in the UK.
Marika Graham-Woods
Executive Director, CTA
