The United Kingdom has long been at the forefront of medical innovation, yet when it comes to the potential therapeutic benefits of medical cannabis, the country has been lagging behind.

Despite an ever-growing body of research suggesting that medicinal cannabis can have a positive impact on a wide range of conditions will examine the impediments to the UK adopting medical cannabis, and investigate the potential solutions that could help make this treatment available to patients.

1. Cost of cannabis-based medicines

One of the reasons why the UK won’t prescribe medical cannabis is the cost of cannabis-based medicines.

Cannabis-based medicines are expensive to produce, and in many cases, prohibitively so. This is because the plant itself is difficult to cultivate and the extraction and processing of the active ingredients is complex and time-consuming.

As a result, the cost of the medicines can be several hundred pounds per month, and this is a major source of concern for the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). The NHS is responsible for providing free healthcare to all citizens, so they are understandably reluctant to bear the cost of such expensive medicines.

2. Lack of clinical evidence

The second major obstacle to the UK prescribing medical cannabis is the lack of clinical evidence to support its use. While cannabis has been used medicinally for thousands of years, it has only recently been studied in a clinical setting.

As a result, there is a limited amount of evidence to back up its use for certain medical conditions. This lack of evidence makes it difficult for doctors to prescribe medical cannabis in the UK, as there is no guarantee that it is effective or safe for all patients.

3. Medical cannabis is a Schedule 1 drug

The UK has yet to legalise the prescription of medical cannabis, despite numerous studies that have found it to be a potentially effective treatment for certain medical conditions. A key factor in this is that medical cannabis is still classified as a Schedule 1 drug, meaning that it is seen as having no medicinal value.

This classification means that it is difficult for medical professionals to obtain the drug in order to conduct further research, and any potential medicinal applications remain largely untested. This, in turn, makes it difficult to convince the government to make it available for medical use.

In summary, the UK’s slow progress towards the legalisation of medical cannabis is of great concern to many. While there is a clear need and demand for medical cannabis, the current restrictions, regulations and processes of the UK’s healthcare system make it difficult to access. In the future, it is hoped that the UK will continue to work towards the legalisation of medical cannabis, making it more readily available to those who need it and benefit from it.