Patient Safety Commissioner calls for urgent action on private cannabis prescriptions
Almost two million unlicensed medical cannabis items were issued on private prescription in the year to May, prompting calls for urgent action and tighter safeguards.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Experts and the Patient Safety Commissioner for England have called for tighter restrictions on unlicensed medical cannabis prescriptions from private clinics, after figures showed rapid growth in the sector.
A law change in 2018 made private prescriptions of cannabis-based products possible. The private prescription sector has since thrived, and many patients say they benefit. But concerns have grown over advertising, virtual consultations and online ordering.
What the figures show
- In the 12 months to May, almost 2 million unlicensed cannabis items were issued on private prescription.
- That is a seven-fold increase on around 283,000 in 2023.
- Three-quarters of the unlicensed items now being issued are cannabis flower.
- The rest are liquid vape cartridges, oils, drops and gummies.
The Patient Safety Commissioner for England wants urgent action. The commissioner said a private cannabis clinic should not prescribe in isolation. Clinicians need to look at the whole patient, including who else is looking after them, such as a GP, the primary care sector, a mental health team or a pain team.
Clark, a patient with multiple sclerosis, said medical cannabis had changed his life. He used to take 11 different drugs. Now he takes three, including prescribed cannabis in a vape. He said legal access meant he could have a son, something he had not considered before the 2018 law change.
But he also warned that cannabis is an incredibly powerful medicine. He said it is life-changingly powerful but also has the potential to cause harm. Because of that risk, he said people accessing it need safeguarding. He worries that if things go wrong for a few, it may jeopardise the benefits experienced by the many.
The family of Oliver Robinson are campaigning for Oliver's law. An inquest earlier this year concluded that a private prescription was one of several factors that contributed to his death. The family said the safeguards and regulations let Oliver down. They said no other family should have to go through the horror and torment they have faced. They argue that responsibility is too diffuse, with no single person or department accountable.
The case has added to calls for tighter regulation of private clinics. Supporters of medical cannabis say the treatment can be life-changing. Patient safety groups say regulation has not kept up with demand.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| An inquest found that a private prescription was among several factors contributing to Oliver Robinson's death. | |
| England's Patient Safety Commissioner called for urgent action on unlicensed medical cannabis prescriptions. | |
| Nearly 2 million unlicensed cannabis items were issued on private prescription in the year to May, a sevenfold rise from about 283,000 in 2023. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
This broadcast led with a direct warning to patients prescribed unlicensed cannabis by private clinics and framed the story around regulation falling behind demand. It combined figures on the surge in private prescriptions with patient testimony, an inquest-linked campaign for Oliver's law, and calls from the Patient Safety Commissioner for urgent action. The report also raised concerns about advertising, virtual consultations and online ordering.
- “The Patient Safety Commissioner for England wants urgent action.”
- “A private cannabis clinic shouldn't just prescribe in isolation. You've got to look at the whole patient, who's looking after that person, whether it be just a GP, the primary care sector, a mental health team, a pain team.”
- “It was the safeguards, the regulations that let Oliver down, and no other family should have to go through the horror and torment that we have.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.