The UK’s embattled National Health Service (NHS) is ‘hanging by a thread, ’ Health Secretary Wes Streeting warned a special meeting of the British Medical Association’s (BMA) representative body on Sunday.
Facing looming strike action and rising waiting times, Streeting pleaded with attendees to work with the government to rescue the NHS from ‘the biggest crisis in its history’.
Despite a fresh injection of funding from a new government, which says it is bringing a new ‘attitude towards the NHS and its staff’, the improvements seen over the last year appear fragile and temporary.
Against the backdrop of this stubborn crisis, the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) has published a new study, making a strong case for the benefits of the long-called-for integration of medical cannabis treatment into the NHS.
According to The Economic and Human Case for Expanding Access to Medical Cannabis in the UK, commissioned by Curaleaf Clinic, the private medical cannabis industry has contributed around £283m in Gross Value Added (GVA) to the economy by helping people recover and return to work since 2018.
Despite this, a record 2.8 million people are unemployed due to long-term sickness. The report argues that widening NHS access could support workforce participation, reduce NHS pressures, and contribute to the government’s economic re-engagement targets.
Over the next decade, access to medical cannabis could add £13.3bn to the UK economy (£1.3bn a year), through increased labour market participation and reduced sickness-related absences.
Patients receiving treatment are estimated to take 4.4 fewer sick days annually. Reduced hospital admissions could lower healthcare costs and ease pressure on overstretched services.
Beyond direct economic gains, expanded access could reduce reliance on conventional painkillers and dependency-forming drugs. The NHS faces an estimated £455–518 million annual cost from unnecessary opioid, benzodiazepine, and gabapentinoid prescribing.
Beyond economics
Polling alongside the economic analysis highlights both unmet need and strong support for reform.
- 62% of those out of work due to illness and prescribed medication say they have exhausted all traditional treatment options.
- 40% remain unaware that medical cannabis is legally available, and 33% describe the NHS system as confusing or unclear.
- Public backing is substantial: 64% of UK adults support expanding treatment options for those unable to work due to chronic illness, while 71% of affected individuals believe medical cannabis should be made more widely available if it helps people return to work.
Policy recommendations
The whitepaper calls for a roadmap to expand NHS access, including:
- Clear commissioning guidance to set prescribing pathways and eligibility criteria.
- Greater government funding for clinical trials, building on real-world evidence from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry with data from over 35,000 patients.
- Training for healthcare professionals on the endocannabinoid system.
- Reform of prescribing rules to allow GPs to initiate treatment.
- Supply chain changes to reduce costs, including the rescheduling of cannabis used in medical manufacturing.
Dr. Simon Erridge, Research Director at Curaleaf Clinic, said: “This analysis shows that medical cannabis isn’t just a health issue – it’s an economic one too. Our goal is to give people affected by poor health more choice and control in their treatment, helping them build independence and, where appropriate, re-enter the workplace. This report highlights a way forward.”
Pushpin Singh, Managing Economist at Cebr, added: “Expanding NHS access would benefit patients while delivering significant productivity gains and cost savings to the UK economy.”
The report concludes that failure to act risks leaving hundreds of thousands unable to work despite the availability of treatment, with costs of inaction outweighing the investment required for reform.
