NHS Doctors Open To Prescribing Cannabis For Chronic Pain, Finds Survey

In a new survey of UK doctors, 84% said they would be open to prescribing medical cannabis for chronic pain if it were part of the NHS toolkit.

The findings indicate there may be significant support among doctors for widening access to medical cannabis for the treatment of chronic pain.

Chronic pain currently affects around a third of the population, a number that is predicted to rise by 1.9 million, to 7.2 million by 2040. At the same time, the UK is one of the largest consumers of prescription opioids per 1,000 inhabitants, surpassing countries like the US, Germany and Canada. 

A 2019 recommendation by Public Health England to reduce “highly addictive” long-term opioid use has reduced opioid prescriptions in the UK by nearly half a million over four years. 

However, over one million people in the UK are still taking prescription opioids, over 50,000 of whom have been taking these for six months or more, at an estimated cost of £500 million to the NHS annually.

The survey of 250 practicing doctors in the UK, commissioned by the medical cannabis clinic Alternaleaf, found that eight in 10 (78%) believe opioids are prescribed too frequently for pain relief, while one in three say the NHS is not prepared for the dramatic increase in patients predicted.

Chronic pain is currently one of the most common indications for which cannabis is prescribed privately in the UK, with the latest figures from NHS Business Services Authority showing over 320,000 items were prescribed between April 2023-24 alone.  

Only around 100-150 doctors are currently prescribing medical cannabis, but over eight in 10 of those surveyed say they would be open to doing so through the NHS.

Medical cannabis prescriber and pain specialist, Dr Gerard Sinovich, commented: “Despite applaudable efforts to bring the numbers of opioid prescriptions down, it’s still the go-to treatment for chronic pain in many cases. 

“Greater awareness of medical cannabis as a treatment for chronic pain could help safely treat millions of patients while reducing the UK’s dependency on opioids.”

An early economic analysis published last year found that prescribing cannabis-based medicines for chronic pain could save the NHS almost £4 billion annually (based on current prevalence rates).

The savings came from reductions in the use of other prescription drugs (such as opioids), fewer GP and hospital appointments, and reduced spending on alternative therapies and treatments.

The authors concluded: “These findings highlight the substantial cost savings that CBMPs may represent for the treatment of chronic pain patients, and the benefits for healthcare providers as a treatment for this often hard-to-treat population.”