High stakes
Medical cannabis , Issue 1672 THE family of a desperately ill man who died in a tormented state after being prescribed cannabis costing up to £1,000 a month by a UK clinic is launching a campaign for legal reform to rein in the unregulated industry.

In January, an inquest linked medical cannabis to the death of property consultant Oliver Robinson, the first case of its kind. His family had watched helplessly as his dependency and intake increased, making him increasingly paranoid, violent, isolated and erratic (Eye 1663).

Coroner Catherine McKenna described his death as a desperate cry for help and listed her concerns about his dealings with Curaleaf, the world's biggest supplier of medical cannabis, in a Prevention of Future Deaths report. She said the firm had prescribed to Oliver despite his record of addiction and mental illness and without consulting his treating psychiatrist.

Responding, the clinic said it had made changes but denied that Oliver's consultant, who was registered in children's psychiatry, was unqualified to prescribe cannabis to an addicted adult; it said he had consistently reported the drug's positive impact on his mental health.

Life-changing
Medical cannabis, including the psychoactive component THC (which is removed from related CBD products that can be bought in supermarkets), has been proven to have life-changing benefits for patients with conditions including multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and Tourette's syndrome, or under treatment for cancer.

It was legalised in 2018 for patients in "exceptional circumstances" following two cases where children were condemned to suffer hundreds of seizures a week when their illegally imported supplies of cannabis oil were confiscated.

Laws were further relaxed in 2020 by the then-health secretary Matt Hancock, enabling unlicensed products to be imported in bulk and distributed to more patients (previously they could only be bought in single prescriptions for named individuals). NHS treatment remains restricted; fewer than 1,000 patients are prescribed licensed and tested products and just five unlicensed ones, after clinical assessment and specialist consultation.

Matters of import
However, the law change has led to private clinics selling unregulated imported batches of varying strength, often after cursory online consultations. Data obtained under freedom of information rules shows prescriptions increased by 15,000 percent within two years.

In 2024, more than 650,000 unlicensed cannabis products were dispensed in the UK by 30 clinics, making it the second biggest market in Europe. Ex-boxer and convicted rapist Mike Tyson and rapper Big Narstie are among celebrities who have put their names to online businesses.

Prescribing psychiatrists must be satisfied that patients have tried two treatments that have proved ineffective – but these could be ibuprofen and acupuncture. Clinics often make unevidenced claims through adverts and websites that the substance can help serious mental health issues such as bipolar disorder, depression and PTSD, as well as ADHD and "general wellbeing".

A recent paper in the Lancet found no evidence of benefits to mental health from the use of cannabinoids. Other research suggests it can make many conditions worse, especially psychotic disorders.

"Wild west"
Alexander Robinson is leading a campaign for legislative reform. He said: "I have been working closely with experts from across the field and whether they are campaigning for greater NHS access or tightening of laws to stop clinics prescribing dangerously and indiscriminately, they all agree that the industry has been allowed to become a wild west... We do not want it banned, just made safe."

"Oliver's Law" calls for greater scrutiny, monitoring and restrictions on those who dispense and buy the products, and improved consultation with other health professionals.

The United Patients Alliance, campaigning for more NHS prescribing to those who genuinely need it, has also urged a crackdown on profit-driven clinics selling to those who don't.

The Department of Health and Social Care said it had asked the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to review the impact of the 2018 changes to the law.

A spokesperson added: "Patient safety must always come first, which is why the NHS only routinely funds cannabis-based medicines that are proven to be safe and effective. We expect regulators to crack down on private clinics which prescribe to patients without the proper care they need."