Can You Get Medical Cannabis on the NHS?
Can You Get Medical Cannabis on the NHS?
Cannabis-based medicines were made fully legal in the UK in November 2018. Since then, thousands of patients have accessed cannabis-based treatments through private clinics. But the question remains: can you actually get medical cannabis on the NHS?
The short answer is yes—but only in very limited circumstances.
Contents
Why is it so difficult to get cannabis on the NHS?
Despite medical cannabis being legal, access via the NHS is extremely restricted. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines only recommend cannabis-based medicines for a small number of conditions, and even then, under very specific circumstances. These include:
- Children with rare, severe forms of epilepsy (such as Dravet syndrome or Lennox-Gastaut syndrome)
- Adults with chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting
- Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) experiencing spasticity
Even if you fall into one of these categories, there is no guarantee that your NHS doctor will prescribe cannabis-based treatment. Many NHS prescribers are cautious due to the limited clinical trial data available, fear of scrutiny, or a lack of experience with cannabis medicines.
What about other conditions?
Patients with chronic pain, anxiety, PTSD, migraines, endometriosis, fibromyalgia, and many other long-term conditions are being treated successfully with cannabis-based medicines through private clinics—but these conditions are not currently recognised by the NHS for cannabis treatment.
This creates a two-tiered system in which access depends largely on whether or not a patient can afford private care.
Are things likely to change?
There’s growing pressure from advocacy groups, patients, and even some prescribers to expand NHS access to medical cannabis. However, until larger-scale clinical trials are conducted and published, it is unlikely that NICE guidelines will broaden significantly.
This means private clinics remain the primary route for patients seeking cannabis-based treatment in the UK.
What about private options?
Clinics like CB1 Medical offer a legal, regulated, and compassionate route to accessing medical cannabis. Patients go through a structured process to determine eligibility, have consultations with specialist doctors, and receive individually tailored prescriptions based on their needs.
Treatment costs at CB1 are kept as accessible as possible, and many patients report improved quality of life after switching from traditional pharmaceuticals to cannabis-based alternatives.
Final thoughts
While medical cannabis is technically available on the NHS, in practice it is only offered in rare cases. For most people, private clinics provide the only realistic route to treatment.
Curious if you’re eligible?
Try our free eligibility checker to see if medical cannabis is right for you.
