The Cannabis Trades Association (CTA) is pleased to welcome the publication of new national guidance for police officers and staff on medicinal cannabis, prepared by the Association of Police Controlled Drug Liaison Officers. This guidance formally supports the work the CTA has been undertaking across the UK to reduce unnecessary friction between lawfully prescribed cannabis patients and the police.
Through the CTA’s Sector Strategy Committees, we have been actively engaging with police forces, Controlled Drug Liaison Officers, and other stakeholders to improve understanding of cannabis-based products for medicinal use (CBPMs). The aim has always been simple: to ensure patients who are legally prescribed medicinal cannabis are treated as patients, not suspects.
The newly published guidance does exactly that. It provides clear, practical and common-sense advice for frontline officers on how to identify lawful possession, what documentation may or may not be present, and when further enquiries are appropriate. Crucially, it reinforces that no offence is committed when a patient is lawfully in possession of prescribed medicinal cannabis, whether issued via the NHS, a private clinic, or as part of a clinical trial.
A step towards consistency and proportionality
One of the most persistent issues reported to the CTA by patients, clinics and member businesses has been inconsistency. Patients have experienced vastly different outcomes depending on which force or officer they encounter, despite the law having been clear since November 2018.
This guidance sets out a nationally consistent approach. It reminds officers that unlicensed does not mean unlawful, clarifies the distinction between smoking and vaping, and explains how medicinal cannabis fits within existing drugs and driving legislation. It also explicitly states that people in possession of medicinal cannabis should be assumed to be patients unless there are justifiable grounds to believe otherwise.
For the CTA, this is an important validation of the engagement work being delivered through our committees, particularly those focused on Medicinal Cannabis and Legal & Technical issues. It demonstrates the value of structured, evidence-led dialogue between industry, healthcare partners and policing bodies.
Why this matters for patients and the wider sector
Medicinal cannabis is most often prescribed when other treatments have failed, frequently for people living with chronic pain, neurological conditions or other serious illnesses. Unnecessary police intervention can be distressing, stigmatising and disruptive to care.
By improving understanding at street level, this guidance helps protect patients’ dignity, reduces avoidable conflict, and allows police resources to be used more effectively. It also supports clinics, pharmacies and suppliers by reinforcing lawful supply chains and professional prescribing practices.
The CTA will continue to work with police forces, CDLOs and national bodies to support awareness, training and best practice across the UK. We encourage our members, patients and partners to familiarise themselves with this guidance and to share it with relevant local stakeholders.
Read the guidance
Police Guidance - Medical Cannabis
