A coalition of UK campaigners has formed under the banner Protect Our Patients, calling on the government to grant GPs the same authority to prescribe medicinal cannabis that currently belongs exclusively to specialist consultants.
Although medicinal cannabis was legalised in the UK in 2018, prescribing rights remain restricted to specialist doctors, who may only authorise the medicine for eligible patients — those with severe epilepsy, multiple sclerosis-related muscle stiffness, or nausea caused by chemotherapy.
A prescription can only be issued once other treatment options have been exhausted.
Campaigners say that while approximately 1,000 patients receive cannabis prescriptions through the National Health Service annually and around 20,000 obtain them privately, an estimated 1.8 million people in the UK are turning to the illicit market to manage medical conditions.
"This is partly due to GPs not being able to prescribe medical cannabis, and because those on low incomes or disability benefits struggle to afford private cannabis prescriptions," the campaign website states.
The campaign is being led by the Cannabis Industry Council (CIC), the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society (MCCS), advocacy group Volteface, and Maple Tree Consultants.
CIC and MCCS founder Professor Mike Barnes said: "The current model for medical cannabis, where only consultants can prescribe, is simply not working in the interests of the majority of patients.
"We are calling for a meaningful, yet uncontroversial change for GPs to be allowed to prescribe medical cannabis to their patients. This change can be made in a relatively straightforward manner, and we will be setting out details in due course.
"We urge the industry to unite around this important agenda to protect our patients."
