P—51 · Drugs & Society · 28–29 September 2026
A Call for Legalisation of Cannabis Through the NHS.
Evidence, patient autonomy, product safety, illicit-market displacement and a proposed four-product NHS regulatory model.
The 22-page paper sets out the case and its limits. A separate 13-page supplement supplies the full evidence matrix, financial scenarios and proposed registry specification.
Read the paper and supplementThis is a proposed change to UK law and NHS practice, not current NHS access, individual medical or legal advice, or a claim that cannabis is harmless. Evidence for one cannabinoid product or condition does not automatically apply to another.
The proposal
and its evidence.
The paper examines present UK law and NHS access, the distinct evidence for cannabinoid medicines, contamination and recalls, the illicit market, substitution under prohibition, international comparisons and the safeguards a measured pilot would need.
It proposes four standardised reference products, batch testing and traceability, clinical recording, confidential disclosure and outcome monitoring. It distinguishes established uses from limited or unsupported treatment claims.
The main paper includes short appendix outlines. The complete Appendices A–C are published separately below.
Evidence, money
and measurement.
The supplement expands the main paper’s short appendix outlines. Read it alongside the main paper:
- Appendix A · Evidence matrixSeparates established or guideline-supported uses from uncertain, mixed and investigational evidence.
- Appendix B · Financial scenariosTests possible market capture, levy and public-supply models, with cost accounting and a pilot reporting standard.
- Appendix C · Proposed NHS registrySpecifies suggested product, outcome, safety, consent and supply-displacement fields.
Appendix B · starts on page 5 of the supplement
A financial case
to test, not assume.
The estimated £2.3–£3.6 billion illicit market is consumer expenditure. It is not NHS profit. The scenarios examine how much spending might move to a regulated channel, possible dedicated public revenue, the costs of safe supply and the measurements a pilot would need.
These are illustrative scenarios, not forecasts or a claim of guaranteed savings.
Go to Appendix B in the PDF