Yes, it is legal when medically prescribed to eligible patients by a specialist doctor. 

There are a wide range of suppliers, and product forms available via prescription. This is continually expanding as the industry grows. 

In short, most prescriptions come in the form of THC heavy sublignual oil, or in cannabis flower (Also referred to as cannabis 'FLOS'), a vapeable distillate 'Cart' or via topicals. 

Please note that smoking dried flower is illegal and invalidates your prescription. This is due to the negative implications that smoking has on a person’s health. Smoking also produces changes to the active compounds in the cannabis plant, resulting in different levels to what was intended when initially prescribed.

Patients are advised to use a medically approved vaporiser. If you are concerned about moving from smoking to vaping, speak to your doctor.

Medical cannabis is not a first line treatment which means that eligible patients must prove that they have a diagnosed health condition for which they have tried at least two other traditional therapies which failed to provide sufficient symptom relief.

The prescribing doctors will take into account your full medical history when deciding whether medical cannabis will be appropriate for you.

So the process is simple, but can take time. So it's important to know how it works, and be prepared for documentation that may be required. So i'll break down the steps from start to finish for you below. However, please remember these can change at any time, so it's always best to check with your clinic for up to date information. 

Step 1. Hit the application button further down on the page and fill our the relevant info. At this stage you are telling the clinic what your condition is, a bit about your background treatment, and why you think medical cannabis may be a viable option for you. It's important to be open and honest about cannabis use because if you have used it previously and found it effective, it may give them an indication down the line of tolerance/ type of product you may need. 

Once submitted the clinic will be assessing whether you are likely to be eligible if everything you've supplied is true. They will then get back to you and either decline/ make recommendations for other treatments and next steps, or offer you to book a consultation. If they ask you to book a consultation that takes you on to step 2. 

Step 2: If you've made it this far, the clinic believe you could be eligible. So they will ask you to book a consultation with one of their doctors to assess you via a remote call. It's important to note that this is the first stage where you'll have to make a payment. Usually between £50 - £100. Also worth noting that having this appointment doesn't guarantee acceptance.  

Once you've confirmed and booked, they will reach out to your GP for your 'Summary of care' records to verify the medical information you suppled in step 1. My best advice at this stage is to contact your GP directly for your summary of care to expedite the process. There have been plenty of examples of GP's inadvertantly holding up the process due to their own backlog of work, so by getting on to this step yourself it ensures the most efficient way forward. For example if you book a consultation for a months time, but the clinic haven't heard back from your GP by then, you may not be able to have a succesful consultation yet and have to rebook. 

Step 3: Your first consultation! Understandably alot of patients and our customers are nervous at this stage, but you really have no need to be. This is simply to discuss your summary of care, and potential treatment pathways forward. It's really important that if you have experience with cannabis that you are honest, as if you have a tolerance, or a preference, they will need to know to be able to prescribe accordingly. Assuming that your summary of care matches your application, and you're not trying it on to get a pass for recreational use, they will likely then make a recommendation to the board for your approval. Remember, even if the doctor thinks youre eligible, it is still down to the board either way. The board typically meet once a week, meaning that usually the longest wait for your first consult up to your confirmation of approval is 7 days, but is often shorter than this. 

Step 4: You will receive a notication of communication and typically have to sign into a portal to read it. Here it will state whether you've been approved or not. If you have been, then this will trigger your doctors recommended prescription being written and sent to the pharmacy. 

Step 5: Paying for your prescription! Ok if you've reached this step, then you are about to receive a payment invoice from the pharmacy, note that this is typically different than the clinic, so keep an eye out in junk mail! 

Although we are all used to next day delivery and instant gratification, sadly in the UK legislation hasn't got that efficient in terms of controlled drug prescriptions. So there is still a process that has to be followed and it takes time. So be patient. After your first prescription it is VERY imporant to note that it can sometimes take 1-2 weeks to process your re order. So you have always order a repeat ahead of time in order to avoid gaps in treatment! Trust me, this is the best bit of advice you can take away from this. I repeat, ORDER YOUR REPEAT AT LEAST 1-2 WEEKS AHEAD OF TIME! 

Ok so the prescription process works like this regardless of it being your first prescription or a repeat: 

You prescripton request is triggered and a paper copy is sent to your pharamcy. This can take anywhere from 2-4 working days depending on Royal mail etc. 

Next you will receive a payment link and a copy of your digital prescription. This can happen prior to your paper presription ariving with your pharmacy, so it's worth noting that in this instance, even though you've paid, they can't dispense your presription untl the paper copy has landed with them. My advice is to download/ save your digital prescription somewhere safe for reference. 

Once they receive your payment and paper prescription they will then proceed to dispense and dispatch your product. Assuming they have it in stock, and the above is received before 1pm, typically these are then sent same day with a next day courier. 

Finally you will receive your prescription to your door. Where my best advice is to check the label for correct information at this point as it is your proof of a legal prescription. Furthermore, it is advised that you only carry your prescribed flower with the original packaging showing your prescription label. This is what the police or any relevant security processes will ned to verify your status as a legal consumer. 

Step 6: Ok so at this point you've finished the process, but will run out of your prescription within 2-4 weeks. Furthermore, you will also need to book a monthly consultation for the first few months whilst you dial in your dose, strain preference and any other information moving forward. From there, typically most patients will revert to being seen one every 3 months to maintain their treatment. 

In total this will vary from person to person mainly on what you are prescribed, how much you need monthly and how often your consultations are. 

As a real world example, i've broken down my costs in a hope that it will give you a realistic idea of what to expect. But it is worth noting that I sit somewhere in the middle in terms of quantity despite being for chronic pain. This is down to my preference and needs to be able to maintain high functionality throughout the day for work. So more advanced conditions can be prescribed larger amounts, resulting in much larger costs. Where as other patients may use a much lower amount, or strains that cost less overall reducing these costs compartively. 

Medical Cannabis UK Monthly Cost: 

Sign up costs: £50 for first consultation and £50pm for three months afterwards until this changes to once every three months. 

So yearly consultation costs for me now are: £200 in total, but in the first year were £350 (3x monthly followed by once quarterly once setup). 

Prescription costs: 

THC Oil 90ml - £85 

Day time Sativa dominant strain of flower (I vary my options monthly for tolerance breaks) £50 - £120 per 10g 

Night time strain: £50 - £85 per 10g

Monthly prescription cost average: £150

Total yearly cost average: £2,000
Total monthly cost average: £166

You're not wrong, it's not cheap. However, as time progresses there are more access programs, and a wider range of available strains on the lower end of the price bracket. 

It is always worth talking to your clinic before applying to find out about any help schemes they may have, and when it comes to buying a dry herb vaporiser you can even purchase some of these without VAT through clinics such as Sapphire to help reduce the costs. 

Yes, if you are prescribed medical cannabis flower you need to use a dry herb vaporiser in order to consume as per your prescription. 

Don't be put off by the initial experience if you have smoked previously, between the difference in other compounds released during combustion, and the difference in throat hit, it can be quite an abrupt change when first swapping over.

We have seen it again and again online and in store with our customers who have said they just can't get used to it initially. However, after sticking with it it usually only takes two weeks to learn the ins and outs of how to best use a dry herb vaporiser for your needs.

Ultimately a dry herb vaporiser not only avoids combustion, but also provides you more control of your dosage, whilst also getting more efficiency with effects like for like compared to smoking. 

Yes, this is a legal prescription and as such you are legally allowed to carry it on your person and use it somewhere suitable in public. 

Although the UK is catching up with medical cannabis now being widely legally available with thousands of patients, there are still a lot of places and people who don't know this. 

As such it is often recommended to use 'smoking/ vaping' areas. However we can appreciate why many of you wouldn't want to have to stand around smoke in order to take your medication. 

In this case we would typically advise finding a suitable alternative, or in certain places such as gigs/ events/ festivals or airports it may be worth planning ahead and requesting more info and potentially reasonable adjustments. It can be helpful to highlight that although dry herb vaporisers do make a smell when in use, the smell quickly passes and unlike smoke vapour doesn't 'stick' to anything and is cleared quite easily. We have seen examples with use allowed indoors in certain scenarios, but remember this isn't a given, and even though this is medical, we do need to be considerate of others too. Although i'm a medical cannabis patient myself, some strains can trigger hayfever symptoms/ allergies, so could appreciate why others with this issue could be frustrated. As time progresses accomodating this will become the norm. Where as we are still guinea pigs to a point. 

If you are ever faced with someone who doesn't seem informed on the law, and you believe as a result you have been descriminated against, it is worth reaching out to the clinic for support and for clarity on your rights. 

It's naturaly to want the peace of mind that you're not going to be mistaken for an illegal user and encounter issues when out and about, or for work purposes where drug testing is standard.

There are some cards and other systems in place to 'verify' your legal status. However, these are not neccesary.

You are already 100% covered by your prescription, but what does that mean and how can you minimise issues?

Ok so the simple answer is to carry your prescription in it's original pot with your prescription printed and attached to it. Having this readily available to present is all you are legally required to do if asked. However, as this is still new, we regularly see those who encounter people who simply don't believe it at this stage and will refuse entry, or have even seen police making the mistake of confiscating medication as a result of lack of knowledge at the time. 

So what we recommend is also having your digital copy of your prescription on your phone as well as your clinic details, contact information and correspondance. These can be stored on google drive, in the notes on your phone, or even printed out in your purse/ wallet. It doesn't have to take up more pocket space, but having this supporting information readily on hand will certainly help any situations where you're hitting a wall. Furthermore it will expedite any clarity that the other party is seeking. 

If you are planning on attending an event/ location where you will need to use your medication and are concerned about this, it is always worth emailing ahead and asking what their policy is, where you can use it and offer to provide any documentation supporting your legal status. 

We plan on producing a template to help people write to events ahead of time with a formal structure as we appreciate not everyone feels confident reaching out knowing what to write. So keep an eye out on our blog for more info. 

You get drug tested at work for two reasons:

1. To ensure you're not consuming any illegal substances that would violate your contract. 
2. To ensure you haven't lied about any medications that could impair your ability to do your job safely. 

If you use heavy machinary at work, or do something that could become dangerous as a result of this medication, then it is vital that you inform HR for safety reasons, as well as your own liability. 

If however that isn't the case, then you shouldn't have anything to worry about. You are not under reason 1 as you are not using an illegaly drug. You are legally prescribed it. 

We have talked to many people worried about this situation and can completely appreciate the concerns. It's important to know your rights, if you are not a safety risk for work, then you cannot be let go due to this medication. That would be descrimination because of what you have been legally prescribed. We have seen cases where someone has been put on paid leave until a safety assessment has been done, which is understandable should it be the first time the company has encountered this issue. However, you are entitled to reasonable adjustments if required, and cannot be fired without just cause. 

Again if you have concerns about this, it's worth talking to your clinic for support. 

This is a complex subject and ultimately best practice comes down to discussing this with your doctor. Under no circumstances should you drive if impaired by your medication, just the same as if you were prescribed other medications. There may be an adjustment period where you do feel impaired when trying your new medication, in which case you shouldn't drive. 

Your clinic is in the best position to advise you with current laws and regulations as well as enabling you to book your next appointment where you can disicuss your specific case with your doctor. 

Sapphire have helpful information on this subject HERE 


Due to the way dry herb vaporisers work allowing precise controlled dosages combined with the normal initial adjustment period, usually any impairment or 'high' after consumption balances with tolerance. So in some instances with the right time between your last controlled dose, it is still possible to manage symptoms whilst also remain sharp/ focused and without impairment. 

I cannot emphasise this enough, under no circumstances should you ever drive whilst impaired, or use your medication whilst driving even if you have a high tolerance. Respect the dangers you pose on other people. 

Beyond this have you checked whether your condition is notifiable to the DVLA? If it is, you can log your condition and medication on record. Be prepared that this may require them assessing your situation to ensure you can remain safe driving. This will give you the peace of mind that everything will be on file should you happen to have an incident in a car, or be roadside tested. 

Remember i'm not a lawyer, i'm simply sharing my experiences and feedback from other patients. Always fact check, laws and systems change constantly. This may be out of date with a recent announcement, so if concerned your best bet is to always contact your clinic for up to date current information!