The UK legalized medical cannabis... but forgot to train its doctors

Nearly seven years have passed since the legalization of medical cannabis in the UK, November 1, 2018. Since then, fewer 1 % of the country's 100,000 specialist doctors have been trained to prescribe it.

While private clinics and patient demand are on the rise, medical training and public access to medical cannabis remain virtually non-existent.

A legal market without the knowledge to back it up

The medical cannabis market in the UK has grown faster than the system designed to regulate it. Despite an increase in the number of prescriptions in the private sector and in the number of patients, the NHS has not yet incorporated medical cannabis products (MCCPs) into its training courses or national guidelines.

Universities have not added any modules on cannabinoid medicine to their medical curricula, and there are no centralized training program to prepare physicians for prescribing. The silence of major healthcare organizations has forced clinicians to seek independent training or rely on peer networks such as the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society (MCCS).

This lack of institutional support has a direct human cost. According to Prohibition Partners, near 80,000 British patients are expected to receive medical cannabis treatment by 2025, a figure that is set to rise to 190,000 by 2029, representing a market value of approximately 619 million euros.

But most patients have to turn to to private clinics, because the NHS issued fewer five orders since legalization.

Professor Mike Barnes, President of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society, is one of the most outspoken critics of this shortcoming.

«We urgently need to train more clinicians in the science of cannabis medicine,» said Professor Barnes.

«We're only touching the surface of those who could benefit from medical cannabis. Tens of thousands of people suffering from chronic anxiety, pain, sleep disorders, epilepsy and other pathologies are being denied access, due to the intransigence of the NHS and, above all, the lack of knowledge and education about this plant.»

Of the 100,000 doctors on the General Medical Council (GMC) Specialist Register and legally authorized to prescribe medical cannabis, only 180 currently do so. These figures reveal a profound structural flaw: a legal framework devoid of any educational foundation.

Bridging the gap: the private sector steps in

In response to this void, some parts of the private sector are trying to fill the gap in medical education. Visit November 25, 2025, hundreds of healthcare professionals will gather in London for the Cannabis Health Symposium, an event dedicated to clinical training on cannabis-based medicines.

Organized by Curaleaf Laboratories in partnership with MCCS, The event aims to give UK clinicians the scientific tools and confidence to meet growing patient demand.

Jonathan Hodgson, CEO of Curaleaf Laboratories, emphasized the importance of training for the future of patient care:

«Although the adoption of medical cannabis is still in its infancy here in the UK, we want to help widen access to this viable option for patients. Thanks to our experience, we are in a privileged position to help the hundreds of thousands of patients in the UK who will have access to these medicines in the coming years.»

«In order for the medical community to adequately support patients, it is essential that healthcare professionals have access to much-needed training on cannabis-based medicines, so that they can help their patients by guiding them in accessing or directly prescribing these medicines,» he added.

The UK medical cannabis system illustrates a paradox: a legal drug that most doctors can't or won't prescribe.