1.4 million adults are using ‘street cannabis’ as medicinal to treat chronic conditions Survey of more than 10,000 people by the Centre for Medicinal Cannabis shows might higher incidence than previously thought

Some 1.4 million adults are now using “street cannabis” to treat the symptoms of chronic conditions, according to the largest poll of its kind.

A survey of more than 10,000 people by the Centre for Medicinal Cannabis (CMC), conducted by YouGov, sought to accurately identify the incidence of street-available cannabis use for medical intent among the general population in England, Wales and Scotland.

More than half (56 per cent) of those using cannabis for their conditions did so on a daily basis, with a further 23 per cent on a weekly basis. 1 in 10 (9 per cent) spent nothing on cannabis implying they grow the drug themselves. Some 44 per cent spent up to £99 per month, with a further 21 per cent spending between £100 and £199.

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Further information regarding which diagnoses cannabis was used for, in addition to which social, age and geographical groups used cannabis in this was collected and will be published in a forthcoming report, the CMC said.

New guidelines

Previous reports have estimated that between 50,000 and 1.1 million people in the UK are already using cannabis in this way, excluding recreational use. However, criticism of this data, open to observational, selection and reporting bias, has prevented their inclusion in national policy deliberations.

Dr Daniel Couch, CMC medical lead, said: “For the first time we have reliable, representative data regarding the number of people in Britain using cannabis as a medicine. Over a million people are using cannabis illegally to relieve their symptoms. The findings are astounding and present a national challenge. We urgently require robust clinical evidence to evaluate the safety and efficacy of cannabinoid medicines”

The findings come as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) published its final guidelines for cannabis-based medicinal products. Two such medicines have been recommended for use on the NHS for the first time.

Epidyolex has been approved for two rare types of epilepsy, Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet syndromes, while the spray Sativex has been recommended for muscle spasms in multiple sclerosis (MS). Charities welcomed the move but said thousands of other people who could benefit from cannabis-based medicines were left in limbo.

A change in the law in 2018 made it legal for doctors to prescribe medicinal cannabis. However, many doctors have been reluctant to do so, citing a lack of clear guidance on prescribing and issues over funding for the drugs.

The Nice guidance looked at cannabis-based products for several conditions. It found a lack of evidence regarding their use in the management of chronic pain and said people with chronic pain should not be prescribed drugs containing THC – the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis.

It also said more research was needed on cannabis-based medicines to treat forms of epilepsy other than Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet. Around 8,000 to 9,000 people in the UK suffer Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet syndromes.

Only one firm, GW Pharma, is licensed by the Home Office to produce medicinal cannabis in the UK, with other companies required to apply for import licences for each shipment. The Home Office states that valid applications are “normally processed in 10 working days”, but patients have said the department was often taking up to 30 days and causing huge distress for families.

Jo Holden, 47, from Muswell Hill, in North London, told i her husband’s prescription took 3 months to arrive, by which time it was too late to be of any use. Martin Holden passed away in August from a brain tumour at the age of 51. The family had hoped medicinal cannabis would have made him more comfortable in his final weeks.

The families of two children, Billy Caldwell and Alfie Dingley – both of whom have severe epilepsy, have repeatedly campaigned for easier access to cannabis medicines in the UK. Hannah Deacon, Alfie’s mother, said she was disappointed in the new Nice guidelines as they would not result in the wider access she was hoping for.