ArticlePsychological medicine2026
The use of cannabis for medical reasons in the UK: Prescriptions, sources, products, and high-risk use.
Article in Psychological medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
backgroundThe United Kingdom legalized medical cannabis in 2018, yet little is known about people using cannabis medically with and without a prescription. This study aimed to estimate: 1) the percentage of people reporting using cannabis medically with and without a prescription; 2) the sources; 3) products used; and 4) associations between frequent product use and medical cannabis status.
methodsData were from national repeat cross-sectional surveys conducted in 2023 and 2024. UK participants were aged 16-65 who used cannabis in the past 12 months (
resultsOverall, 12.9% of respondents reported receiving a medical cannabis prescription, 35.9% reported medical use without a prescription, and 51.2% reported no medical use. Cannabis was sourced through diverse routes; only 10.9% of people with prescriptions obtained all their cannabis from a prescription. Respondents with a prescription had a higher probability of reporting frequent use of drops, capsules, vape oils, edibles, drinks, solid concentrates, hash/kief, and topicals (aRRs = range between 1.82 and 3.51)) and a higher probability of screening positive for high-risk use (aRR = 3.09; 2.51-3.79) than respondents who did not use medically.
conclusionsPeople with medical cannabis prescriptions show a higher probability of frequent use of processed products and of meeting a threshold for high-risk use. Healthcare encounters during medical cannabis prescribing should discuss risks related to products, potency, and adverse effects such as cannabis use disorder.
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