Why patients in Europe are accessing medical cannabis

New data gives an insight into the demographics of medical cannabis patients across Europe – and the conditions they are being prescribed for.

Cannabis industry experts at Prohibition Partners, have assembled one of the most comprehensive breakdowns of demographics in the European medical cannabis space.

The data analytics company has compiled multiple sources to determine insights such as the age and gender of patients across Europe, and what health issues they are using medical cannabis for.

While the UK‘s medical cannabis patients are more similar to those in developed markets like the US and Israel, patients in Germany, Italy and Denmark tend to be older and more predominantly women, the report found.

“The medicalised nature of cannabis distribution in Europe means the balance of patients who are using for purely medical purposes rather than mixed medical/adult-use is lower,” the authors of the report said.

“More familiar product formats such as oils and capsules are more common in Europe than most other medical cannabis markets. [This] is one of the most comprehensive views on the characteristics of medical cannabis patients and products available anywhere.”

How old are medical cannabis patients in Europe?

The report showed that Europe’s medical cannabis patients are slightly older than those in more developed markets such as the US or Canada, where many patients also use cannabis recreationally.

Data sourced from Project Twenty21 revealed that the average age of patients in the UK is 40.

In Germany, the continent’s largest medical cannabis market, the average age of patients stands at around 56.

However, Prohibition Partners anticipate that the true average age is lower due to the underreporting of patients using cannabis flower rather than oils or capsules.

Meanwhile, in Denmark, Czechia and Italy where medical cannabis regulation is more restrictive, the average age of patients is between 55 and 60.

More women are taking medical cannabis than men

Contrary to other developed markets, medical cannabis patients in Europe are predominantly female. In Denmark, Czechia and Italy more than 60 per cent of patients are women, while Germany has an almost even split with 51 per cent of patients being men.

The UK follows similar patterns to advanced markets like Australia, Israel and the US where the majority of medical cannabis patients are male.

What are patients taking cannabis-based medicines for?

As in other markets, European patients are mostly prescribed medical cannabis for severe and chronic pain. This is to be expected given the prevalence of pain conditions. It is estimated that up to one in three people suffer from pain in some form.

Spasticity, which is often associated with multiple sclerosis is another common condition highlighted by Prohibition Partners. Although it is far less common than pain conditions, MS is notoriously difficult to treat which could explain why so many people turn to medical cannabis for relief.

Thanks to high profile media coverage for patients such as Alfie Dingley, medical cannabis is strongly associated with severe forms of epilepsy. The data shows, however, that the proportion of the population using THC and CBD for epilepsy is relatively low due to the rarity of these conditions.

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