Declaring Medical Cannabis On Your PIP Application?
Is medical cannabis an eligible cost for PIP payments? Should you declare that you're a medical cannabis patient when applying for personal independence payments?
As someone who has been through the whole process I figured i'd share my experience and answer as many questions as I can!
Author: Rowan Bailey
06/11/2025
So many of you will already be our readers and know my background, but for those who have only just found this article let me introduce myself.
I'm Rowan Bailey, owner of Infinity CBD and a medicall cannabis consultant. I have been working in this industry since 2018, and aside from working rigerously through the compliance side of things building our own labs and products, I am also a medical cannabis patient myself.
So seeing as I speak to medical cannabis patients from all backgrounds, have experience first hand and also know the ins and outs of the industry itself, I like to share my insights and hopefully help shed some light here.
Whether you should mention medical cannabis when applying for PIP is a question I get asked a lot, and I see it come up online regularly. So I figured it would be useful to write this to share my experience and hopefully help someone going through this process at the moment!
We hope you find this useful and i'll be sure to update it with any further information that I think may be useful.
Personal Independence Payments & Medical Cannabis
Costs
Though prices continue to go down, medical cannabis prescriptions are still incredibly expensive. Many see their monthly invoices in the range of £150-£400.
There are currently options coming to the market that are pushing these prices down. However ultimately everyone is different, and the medication that works for an individual isn't always going to be the cheapest, budget option.
This monthly cost doesn't take into account the appointment costs that you have typically every 1-3 months. Or the cost of the medical dry herb vaporizer to administer the prescription in line with the Dr's instructions.
So if you are someone who is limited with work capabilities or simply need support with the cost of maintaining your quality of life using this medication. Then PIP is an obvious solution. For me at least, medical cannabis has enabled me to manage and improve my quality of life and independence signiticantly.
Impact
Using medical cannabis isn't as straight forward as taking a tablet, or other classic administrative methods. Though there are options for tablets, pastilles and carts that make things a little easier, most patients are prescribed flower.
Processing flower ready for your dry herb vape and loading it can take time and isn't always easy when out and about. Particularly with stigma still associated with cannabis.
So having to plan your day includes 'pit stops' and adaptations to setups to ensure ease of managing your medications. In some instances this means investing in more expensive setups. Or having to arrange a quiet area to prepare your doses.
Furthermore, my dry herb vape can take 10-15 minutes to clear the dosage. This is a considerable amount of time when needing to find a suitable location that is comfortable, not exposed or going to cause issues. So I have to plan and consider these things, as well as contact venues/ locations ahead of time for reasonable adjustments and practices in place. This takes time and effort to arrange and manage through the day.
DWP / PIP Understanding of Cannabis
Most of the time the issue being brought up when asking about medical cannabis / PIP is the hesitation of whether negative stigma will impact their application.
Given that the laws around medical cannabis changed in 2018 over 7 years ago, you'd think this shouldn't be a concern. However even this morning prior to writing this I have had contact from a patient who was arrested and had their medication seized from them yesterday in London despite being above board, with all paperwork etc. So regardless of the law, it still takes individuals to be informed to not make these mistakes. So our customers or those who reach out and ask about this are totally justified to be anxious when we continually see these issues.
However, I can not stress this enough. DO NOT AVOID MENTIONING IT FOR PIP.
Yes you may get someone initially who isn't informed, but you are in the right and a medical cannabis prescription impacts your life in terms of cost and considerations around many aspects that PIP consider.
I have been through the PIP process and outlined every appointment, the health tracking from their system to support my symptoms as well as invoices showing the significant impact it has had. My PIP application had issues like many hear about in terms of having to appeal, and having my interviews be misrepresented and ultimately had to take it to tribunal. Yet there was never any issue about the medical cannabis side. I even directly spoke about it to support my case in course with the Dr, Judge and health worker. All of which understood it, and didn't bat an eyelid when mentioning it.
Can PIP payments be for Medical Cannabis?
PIP payments are there to support your independence and quality of life with your impairment.
Though it wouldn't apply to everyones condition, if the condition you are applying for PIP is also the one you are prescribed medical cannabis for. Then it is absolutely a cost that PIP can be there to support you for if you are succesful in your application.
These payments are typically used for things such as a Motability car, taxis, help at home, help with admin, quality of life costs and specialist support you require.
I can only talk to my own experience here and my specific situation. Medical cannabis ensures that I can manage my pain and additional symptoms enough to be able to be productive in work, to be present as a father, to be able to do my day to self care such as washing at times where i'd be locked up in a flare up and have to avoid these things. The list goes on, but ultimately without this prescription I wouldn't have these aspects in my life. I have struggled to pay that invoice at the end of the month many times, so PIP being there to reliable keep this consistent has been a major bit of peace of mind for me.
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Applying for PIP to help with medical cannabis costs
Conclusion - Is it worth it?
PIP is a signiciant pillar of support for many people with disabilities to help return some level of independence and quality of life.
These impacts include medical support, which is precisely what medical cannabis is. Without it, I wouldn't be able to do the job that I do and would have had to reduce my capabilities significantly.
So in my eyes there's no doubt that applying for PIP is worth it if you are eligible. However, PIP is notoriously a difficult process and can be very upsetting for those who apply with genuine needs and yet get declined time and time again.
I'm not too proud to admit that the appeals process of this almost broke me mentally and emotionally. Essentially being called a liar whilst I was going through major upheavals in my life and in the thic of two major brain operations was a lot to deal with.
It's completely understandable why so many walk away at this point and give in. So part of the reason I wrote this article is to hopefully give some insight and support for those who are eligible but on the fence.
The support is there for you to use on medical cannabis if you are elgible for PIP!
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