New Research Estimates UK Medical Cannabis Patient Numbers at 60,000–75,000 Active Patients
New research published by Plantz and Cannavec.ai offers a fresh estimate of the size of the UK’s medical cannabis patient population, highlighting both the rapid growth of the sector and the continued lack of official nationwide patient reporting.
According to the research, there are currently an estimated 60,000–75,000 active medical cannabis patients in the UK as of mid-2026. The report further estimates that approximately 75,000–90,000 individuals received a prescription during 2025, with around 95,000 people prescribed medical cannabis cumulatively since legalisation in November 2018.
The analysis was developed using dispensing data from the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), alongside industry and clinician estimates from organisations including the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society, the Cannabis Industry Council, Prohibition Partners, and Cannamonitor.
While the NHSBSA publishes data on private unlicensed cannabis items dispensed in England, there is currently no official UK-wide patient count published by government. The research notes that prescription “items” do not directly translate into individual patients, as a single patient may receive multiple prescribed products across several appointments throughout the year.
The report points to substantial market growth reflected in NHSBSA dispensing records, which show private cannabis items increasing from negligible levels in 2019 to 282,920 items in 2023 and 659,293 items in 2024.
Rather than presenting a single definitive figure, the researchers chose to provide ranges to reflect the limitations of the available data and avoid overstating precision. The methodology also distinguishes between patients actively receiving treatment at a given time and those who may have received a prescription at some point during the year.
Plantz and Cannavec.ai state that their full methodology, evidence tiers, international comparisons, and five-year scenario modelling are publicly available and open to feedback.
The full research and methodology can be viewed at: https://plantz.io/how-we-estimated-the-number-of-medical-cannabis-patients-in-the-uk-full-methodology/
