A new survey has found that 84% of UK doctors would be willing to prescribe medical cannabis for chronic pain if it were an available option through the National Health Service (NHS).
The findings come as experts warn that chronic pain cases in the UK could rise by 1.9 million by 2040.
Commissioned by the medical cannabis clinic Alternaleaf, the survey also revealed that 78% of doctors believe opioids are overprescribed for pain relief in the UK, with nearly a third (29%) expressing concern that the NHS is unprepared for the expected surge in chronic pain patients.
The UK remains one of the largest consumers of prescription opioids per capita, surpassing countries such as the U.S., Germany, and Canada. Over a million people in the UK currently take prescription opioids, and more than 50,000 have been on them for six months or longer, costing the NHS approximately £500 million annually.
Although medical cannabis was legalized in 2018, NHS prescriptions remain extremely limited, excluding chronic pain from the list of approved conditions. As a result, thousands of chronic pain patients seek treatment through private clinics, where specialists frequently prescribe cannabis for conditions like fibromyalgia and arthritis.
“Despite efforts to reduce opioid prescriptions, they remain the go-to treatment for chronic pain in many cases. Increasing awareness of medical cannabis as an alternative could safely treat millions while reducing the UK’s reliance on opioids,” said Dr. Gerard Sinovich, a pain specialist who prescribes medical cannabis.
Public awareness of medical cannabis remains limited. A separate 2024 poll found that only 53% of the UK population knew it was legal. Reports of patients having their legally prescribed cannabis confiscated by police highlight the broader lack of education within the public sector.
The full survey findings will be published in a white paper on Chronic Pain and Medical Cannabis.
