This week marks five years since the UK government legalised cannabis-based products for medicinal use in 2018 and figures from the Home Office have shown that the amount of medical cannabis imported has tripled in volume this year.
Responding to a parliamentary question, Chris Philp, the Home Office minister responsible for medical cannabis, told the Commons that from 2023 until 19th September this year, 23,890 Kg of cannabis (in base drug form) had been imported. This is more than three times the 7,762 Kg imported in 2022.
Patients can access these cannabis-based products for medicinal use through private clinics, where they pay for the medicine which costs between £6-11 a gram, suggesting that the market is already worth over £143 million per annum. Estimates on the current number of patients in the UK are around 30,000- 32,000. In comparison, in Australia, doctors prescribed the drug to 316,879 patients in 2022 with over a million prescriptions having been issued since legalisation in 2016. In Germany, 372,000 prescriptions were issued by doctors in 2021 with cannabis flowers accounted for almost EUR 70 million in value and cannabinoid-containing medicines a further EUR 46 million.
Medical cannabis cultivation companies are now beginning to come online in the UK, potentially reducing the need for imports. Mark Heley, a representative of the UK-based cultivation company Glass Pharms, commented: “It is really encouraging to see this apparent growth in the UK market, but patients have found it difficult to get consistent supply and the quality of the imports has been variable. We will be able to provide a secure supply chain for UK patients built here in the UK by the end of year, so that patients will no longer have to be concerned that when their prescriptions run out, they will not be able to get resupplied.”
Cannabis Industry Council CEO Mike Morgan-Giles added: “While the regulatory and policy environment remains challenging, it is positive to see this notable growth in the amount of imported medical cannabis. This indicates that awareness of cannabis medicines is increasing and prescription patient numbers are rising. We hope this momentum will continue, ideally alongside growth in the UK cannabis market – which will help boost the economy and create jobs.”
Five years after the UK government legalised cannabis-based products for medicinal use, figures from the Home Office have revealed a dramatic increase in the amount of medical cannabis imported into the country.
Chris Philp, the Home Office minister responsible for medical cannabis, told the Commons that in 2023- up until 19th September this year- the UK had imported 23,890 Kg of cannabis (in base drug form). This is more than triple the 7,762 Kg imported in 2022 and suggests that the market is already worth over £143 million per annum.
Patients can access these cannabis-based products through private clinics, where they pay for the medicine which costs between £6-11 a gram. Estimates on the current number of patients in the UK are around 30,000- 32,000, although this is quite a small market in comparison to comparable countries. In Australia, doctors prescribed the drug to 316,879 patients in 2022 with over a million prescriptions having been issued since legalisation in 2016. In Germany, 372,000 prescriptions were issued by doctors in 2021 with cannabis flowers accounting for almost EUR 70 million in value and cannabinoid-containing medicines a further EUR 46 million.
Medical cannabis cultivation companies are now beginning to come online in the UK, potentially reducing the need for imports and providing a secure supply chain for UK patients. Mark Heley, a representative of the UK-based cultivation company Glass Pharms, commented: “It is really encouraging to see this apparent growth in the UK market, however patients have found it difficult to get consistent supply and the quality of the imports has been variable. We will be able to provide a secure supply chain for UK patients built here in the UK by the end of year.”
Cannabis Industry Council CEO Mike Morgan-Giles added: “While the regulatory and policy environment remains challenging, it is positive to see this notable growth in the amount of imported medical cannabis. This indicates that awareness of cannabis medicines is increasing and prescription patient numbers are rising. We hope this momentum will continue, ideally alongside growth in the UK cannabis market – which will help boost the economy and create jobs.”
This week marks five years since the UK government legalised cannabis-based products for medicinal use. Home Office figures have revealed a dramatic increase in the amount of medical cannabis imported into the country, with the volume tripling this year.
Responding to a parliamentary question, Chris Philp, the Home Office minister responsible for medical cannabis, told the Commons that 23,890 Kg of cannabis (in base drug form) had been imported from 2023 until 19th September this
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