The United Kingdom’s emerging legal medical cannabis market is the second-largest in Europe, only behind Germany’s medical market. While the United Kingdom’s medical cannabis program needs to be modernized, its overall value is still considerable.
“In the UK, the medical cannabis market—entirely private—is expected to exceed €300 million in 2025. Over 30 telehealth platforms serve a rapidly expanding patient base, although high treatment prices and a lack of public reimbursement remain key challenges. Domestic production is ramping up, with several UK-based producers now supplying locally cultivated cannabis.” reported Cannabis Health News.
The 2025 medical cannabis market projection for the United Kingdom is part of a new analysis contained in The European Cannabis Report: 10th Edition. The analysis also projects that Europe’s overall legal medical cannabis market could surpass €1.5 billion in combined value “by the end of the decade.”
According to a recent government report, medical cannabis prescribed through private clinics in England increased by 130% between 2023-2024. Below is a graph of historic prescription data, according to the Care Quality Commission (CQC):
According to the CQC, 150,527 medical cannabis items were dispensed between April 2022 and March 2023, and that volume increased to 346,600 medical cannabis items dispensed in the year that followed (April 2023 to March 2024).
“As in previous years, we are not able to publish the data for NHS prescribing of unlicensed CBPMs. This is because the number of items prescribed in the NHS is so small that this could potentially breach patient confidentiality.” stated the CQC.
Per a separate inquiry, it was determined that NHS prescriptions went to “fewer than five patients,” which highlights how limited the United Kingdom’s medical cannabis rules and regulations are right now.