To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prescriptions for cannabis have been issued each year since 2018 in England
Answered on
22 July 2022
The following table shows the number of items for licensed and unlicensed cannabis-based medicines prescribed on a National Health Service prescription, dispensed in the community and submitted to the NHS Business Services Authority in England between January 2018 and April 2022, the latest data available. We are unable to provide data on NHS prescriptions for unlicensed cannabis-based medicines, due to the number of items attributed to fewer than five patients which could identify individuals.
NHS prescription items | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 January to April |
Licensed cannabis-based medicines | 2,591 | 2,636 | 2,681 | 2,981 | 1,171 |
The following table shows the number of items for licensed and unlicensed cannabis-based medicines prescribed on a private prescription, dispensed in the community and submitted to the NHS Business Services Authority between January 2018 and April 2022, the latest data available. Data on unlicensed prescriptions in 2018 is held for November and December only and January in 2022.
Private prescription items dispensed | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
Licensed cannabis-based medicines | 24 | 35 | 29 | 28 | 17 |
Unlicensed cannabis-based medicines | 0 | 278 | 4,469 | 42,393 | 385 |
Data licensed cannabis-based medicines prescribed in secondary care since 2018 is not collected centrally.