In the UK, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Medical Cannabis under Prescription has made a number of recommendations to the nation’s government.

The Group was founded in July 2018 to provide a cross-party forum for parliamentarians to engage with clinicians, patients, researchers, and industry experts on medical cannabis access in the UK.

While it has been seven years since medical cannabis was legalised in the UK, the group says the industry is still being held back by red tape and restrictive guidance. Only 6 National Health Service (NHS) funded prescriptions for full-spectrum medicines have been issued in that time, meanwhile around 75,000 people have been prescribed cannabis.

“This costs an average of about £300 per month plus consultation fees, so over £4,000 pa, which is simply not affordable for most people,” says the APGG.

Furthermore, the group claims 1.4 million people are still relying on illicit cannabis for medical use.

“Without urgent reform, we will continue to see patients suffer and the UK will lose a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a world-leading medical cannabis industry,” states the APPG. “We know that medical cannabis is already saving lives and reducing healthcare costs in other countries, and we know the evidence base supporting it is strong and growing.”

In its report, the APGG has made a number of recommendations relating to:

• Policy reform supporting patient access and clinician confidence.
• Rebuilding National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on real-world evidence.
• Supporting UK producers and exports to secure economic gains.
• Commissioning a review across the industry to remove duplication and regulatory friction.

A conservative estimate of revenue is that the industry could generate about £5 billion per annum. On the patient side, if cannabis was provided to chronic pain patients instead of other treatments — and given the number of people with chronic pain in the UK — then the potential savings could amount to over £23.6 billion. While medical cannabis wouldn’t be suitable for all those patients, it provides an idea of the health economic opportunity.

“We urgently need to explore ways to improve patient access and develop an industry which will not only be of benefit to many millions of patients but also contribute significantly to the UK economy,” says the report summary.

The full APGG for Medical Cannabis under Prescription report can be viewed here.