FAQ

Here we answer your most frequently asked questions about medical and recreational cannabis products.

Cannabis for medicinal use can be prescribed for patients in certain situations based on clinical need. Since then, we’ve been dedicated to fulfilling thousands of patient prescriptions each month with high-quality, medical-grade cannabis.

If you’re looking for treatment options and want to know more about medical cannabis, you can find our answers to some common questions here.

1.Is medical cannabis legal?

Medical cannabis is legal in the UK and some parts of the EU, but only if a doctor has prescribed it for you. The doctor must be a specialist prescriber and registered with the General Medical Council (GMC). Medical cannabis has been legal in the UK and some parts of the EU since November 2018.

You need a prescription to get medical cannabis and to see your specialist prescriber, when required, for follow-up appointments.

If you’re worried about getting stopped by police in the EU, you should carry one or more of the following:

a copy of your prescription
a signed letter from your medical cannabis clinic doctor
the original medical cannabis container with the pharmacy, label attached.

We recommend you always keep a form of ID with you. Your ID should match the name on your prescription, doctor’s letter, and medical cannabis container.

2. Is medical cannabis safe?

Medical cannabis is safe to use when you take it as prescribed by a doctor that is a specialist prescriber registered with the General Medical Council (GMC).

3.Will medical cannabis get me high?

When you first start taking medical cannabis, you’ll begin with a low dose of THC or CBD and it’s unlikely that you’ll get high. The doctor looking after you and providing your medical cannabis prescription can discuss this further with you.

Medical cannabis can cause a high if you take a high dose of THC. THC is the active substance in medical cannabis that can cause a high and is known as tetrahydrocannabinol. CBD stands for cannabidiol and doesn’t cause a high.

4. What is the difference between CBD and THC?

The main difference between CBD and THC is that they act differently in your body. THC is short for tetrahydrocannabinol and CBD is short for cannabidiol.

THC and CBD are both types of active cannabinoids found in medical cannabis. Your body naturally produces cannabinoids, and we call these endocannabinoids.

THC can affect how you think, what you feel, and the way your body moves by stimulating your body’s cannabinoid receptors. CBD works in a different way and can make the effects of THC and your body’s natural endocannabinoids last longer.

The THC (and CBD) in medical cannabis are unlikely to cause a “high” as you always start with the lowest possible dose, and slowly work your way up to help treat your medical condition.

CBD that is not prescribed by a doctor is classed as a food supplement (novel food) and is not regulated in the same way that medical cannabis products are. Therefore, it should not be used medically to treat any kind of health condition. This includes CBD products that you may buy from a “health food shop” or over the counter in a pharmacy.

5.Do I qualify for medical cannabis?

To find out if you qualify for medical cannabis, you need to speak to a doctor that is a specialist prescriber. You can find a specialist prescriber at certain hospitals or medical cannabis clinics.

A specialist prescriber might decide that you do qualify for medical cannabis depending on what you have tried to help treat your medical condition. If you’ve tried all the possible treatment options and they haven’t helped, then you may qualify for medical cannabis.