‘It’s Crazy’ – Patients Say the UK’s Medical Cannabis System Is Not Working

Despite production of medical cannabis increasing by 700 percent, just three people have been prescribed weed on the NHS.

The production of medical cannabis in the UK has risen by almost 700 percent over the last five years. However, since the drug was legalised for medical use in 2018, there have been just three NHS prescriptions of cannabis oil. A private market is growing – with roughly 6,000 prescriptions issued – but many struggle to pay the expensive fees each month.

In its annual report, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), a UN body that regulates the trade in controlled drugs for medical use, estimated that the UK stockpiled almost 190 tons of medical cannabis – or 92 percent of legal global supply – as of 2019, after producing 320 tons, making it the world’s largest producer.

– Read the entire article at Vice.