--- title: "European Union: UK Medical Cannabis Market… | Cannabivo" description: "UK imports topped 30,000 kg in 2025, products doubled and Prohibition Partners sees 40,000+ more patients by end-2026." canonical: https://cannabivo.com/news/business/european-union-uk-medical-cannabis-market-is-growing-faster-than-expected language: en robots: index, follow og_type: article type: research-article language_alternates: en: https://cannabivo.com/news/business/european-union-uk-medical-cannabis-market-is-growing-faster-than-expected.md cs: https://cannabivo.com/cs/novinky/byznys/trh-s-lekarskym-cannabisem-ve-spojenem-kralovstvi-roste-rychleji-nez-se-cekalo.md de: https://cannabivo.com/de/news/wirtschaft/europaeische-union-der-britische-markt-fuer-medizinisches-cannabis-waechst-schneller-als-erwartet.md es: https://cannabivo.com/es/noticias/negocios/union-europea-el-mercado-britanico-de-cannabis-medicinal-crece-mas-rapido-de-lo-esperado.md fr: https://cannabivo.com/fr/actualites/economie/union-europeenne-le-marche-britannique-du-cannabis-medical-croit-plus-vite-que-prevu.md hu: https://cannabivo.com/hu/hirek/uzlet/europai-unio-az-egyesult-kiralysag-orvosi-cannabis-piaca-a-vartnal-gyorsabban-novekszik.md it: https://cannabivo.com/it/notizie/economia/unione-europea-il-mercato-britannico-della-cannabis-medica-cresce-piu-rapidamente-del-previsto.md nl: https://cannabivo.com/nl/nieuws/zaken/europese-unie-britse-markt-voor-medische-cannabis-groeit-sneller-dan-verwacht.md pl: https://cannabivo.com/pl/aktualnosci/biznes/unia-europejska-rynek-medycznej-cannabis-w-wielkiej-brytanii-rosnie-szybciej-niz-oczekiwano.md pt: https://cannabivo.com/pt/noticias/negocios/uniao-europeia-o-mercado-britanico-de-cannabis-medicinal-esta-a-crescer-mais-depressa-do-que-o-esperado.md ru: https://cannabivo.com/ru/novosti/biznes/evropeiskii-soiuz-rynok-meditsinskogo-cannabis-v-velikobritanii-rastet-bystree-chem-ozhidalos.md tr: https://cannabivo.com/tr/haberler/ekonomi/avrupa-birligi-birlesik-krallik-tibbi-cannabis-pazari-beklenenden-daha-hizli-buyuyor.md zh: https://cannabivo.com/zh/news/shangye/ou-meng-ying-guo-yi-yong-dama-shichang-zengzhang-kuaiyu-yuqi.md ja: https://cannabivo.com/ja/news/bijinesu/oushuu-rengou-eikoku-no-iryouyou-cannabis-shijou-wa-yosou-yori-hayaku-kakudai-shiteiru.md ar: https://cannabivo.com/ar/akhbar/aamal/al-ittihad-al-awrubi-suq-al-qannab-al-tibbi-fi-al-mamlaka-al-mutahida-yanmu-asmaa-min-al-mutawaqqa.md ko: https://cannabivo.com/ko/news/bijeuniseu/yureobyeonhab-yeongguk-uiryoyong-cannabis-sijang-i-yesangboda-deo-ppeulgge-seongjang-jung.md pt-br: https://cannabivo.com/pt-br/noticias/negocios/uniao-europeia-mercado-britanico-de-cannabis-medicinal-cresce-mais-rapido-do-que-o-esperado.md hi: https://cannabivo.com/hi/samachar/vyapar/yurapiya-sangh-briten-ka-medical-cannabis-bazar-ummid-se-tez-badh-raha-hai.md generated: 2026-07-29 --- > **Machine-readable Markdown rendering.** This is a Markdown representation of a web page, > served for AI agents and crawlers as a token-efficient alternative to the full HTML. > Full interactive HTML version: https://cannabivo.com/news/business/european-union-uk-medical-cannabis-market-is-growing-faster-than-expected > Canonical URL: https://cannabivo.com/news/business/european-union-uk-medical-cannabis-market-is-growing-faster-than-expected > Available languages: en, cs, de, es, fr, hu, it, nl, pl, pt, ru, tr, zh, ja, ar, ko, pt-br, hi [![UK medical cannabis clinic desk with patient forms and pharmacy records](/images/uploads/bac92552-5e33-4e73-9594-5ccf62b83471/news-hero-european-union-uk-medical-cannabis-market-is-growing-faster-than-expected-1920x1080.jpg)](/images/uploads/bac92552-5e33-4e73-9594-5ccf62b83471/news-hero-european-union-uk-medical-cannabis-market-is-growing-faster-than-expected-1920x1080.avif "View image full size") [Business](/news/business "Business") 6 min read # European Union: UK Medical Cannabis Market Is Growing Faster Than Expected ![Portrait of Rob Harley, Cannabivo news desk](/images/uploads/5f094d99-3443-4907-8555-2910851fd38a/rob-harley-1920x1920.jpg)By [Rob Harley](/user-profile?u=a65dddce-73db-40b5-8660-fe93612a7384 "View the author's member profile")Published June 26, 2026in [Business](/news/business "Business") UK imports topped 30,000 kg in 2025, products doubled and Prohibition Partners sees 40,000+ more patients by end-2026. ![Portrait of Rob Harley, Cannabivo news desk](/images/uploads/5f094d99-3443-4907-8555-2910851fd38a/rob-harley-1920x1920.jpg)By [Rob Harley](/user-profile?u=a65dddce-73db-40b5-8660-fe93612a7384 "View the author's member profile") Rob Harley has reported on cannabis law and the non-profit association movement across Europe for the past decade. He focuses on how regulation actually reaches the members who use cannabis social clubs — the paperwork, the limits, and the slow build of public trust. His work for Cannabivo aims to be accurate, sourced, and free of hype. [More articles by this author](/news/author/rob-harley "See all articles by this author")Published June 26, 2026in [Business](/news/business "Business") In this article1. [Imports and product choice are rising together](/news/business/european-union-uk-medical-cannabis-market-is-growing-faster-than-expected#imports-and-product-choice-are-rising-together "Imports and product choice are rising together") 2. [The scale behind the projection](/news/business/european-union-uk-medical-cannabis-market-is-growing-faster-than-expected#the-scale-behind-the-projection "The scale behind the projection") 3. [Pharmacists and clinics now sit at the centre of access](/news/business/european-union-uk-medical-cannabis-market-is-growing-faster-than-expected#pharmacists-and-clinics-now-sit-at-the-centre-of-access "Pharmacists and clinics now sit at the centre of access") 4. [The regulatory question has not gone away](/news/business/european-union-uk-medical-cannabis-market-is-growing-faster-than-expected#the-regulatory-question-has-not-gone-away "The regulatory question has not gone away") 5. [What the UK surge means for Europe’s medical-cannabis debate](/news/business/european-union-uk-medical-cannabis-market-is-growing-faster-than-expected#what-the-uk-surge-means-for-europe-s-medical-cannabis-debate "What the UK surge means for Europe’s medical-cannabis debate") Across the European Union’s wider cannabis-policy debate, the UK medical cannabis market has become a useful test case for how quickly legal access can scale. In a market report covered by Business of Cannabis, Prohibition Partners said 2025 imports of cannabis-based medicinal products passed **30,000 kilograms**, while the number of products available to patients more than doubled. The same analysis points to **more than 40,000 additional patients** by the end of 2026. ## Imports and product choice are rising together The headline is not just that imports are rising. It is that supply, choice and demand are moving together, which is why the UK market has surprised even people close to it. Prohibition Partners said 2025 imports of cannabis-based medicinal products more than doubled for the second consecutive year, and that the number of products available to patients also more than doubled. The recent acceleration can be read as a short sequence of steps: Recent milestones in the UK market 1. 2025Imports passed 30,000 kilograms Prohibition Partners said the UK imported more than 30,000 kilograms of cannabis-based medicinal products, and product availability more than doubled. 2. End 2026Patient numbers are expected to rise again Prohibition Partners estimates the market will expand by more than 40,000 patients by the end of 2026. A newsroom image of that growth would likely show the administrative side of the market rather than the plant itself: [![A UK medical cannabis clinic desk with patient forms, folders and pharmacy records.](/images/uploads/943a6a9b-cdf9-4b4a-954a-f8e4d237fa46/european-union-uk-medical-cannabis-market-is-growing-faster-than-expected-a-uk-medical-can-1920x1080.jpg)](/images/uploads/943a6a9b-cdf9-4b4a-954a-f8e4d237fa46/european-union-uk-medical-cannabis-market-is-growing-faster-than-expected-a-uk-medical-can-1920x1080.avif "View image full size") Paperwork and stock records reflect the market’s rapid expansion. ## The scale behind the projection The value side of the market is just as striking. Prohibition Partners’ [global medical cannabis market review 2026](https://prohibitionpartners.com/2026/03/26/five-takeaways-from-the-global-medical-cannabis-market-review-2026/ "global medical cannabis market review 2026") estimated the UK market at **$298 million** in 2025 and said it had grown **104% year on year**. Those figures help explain why clinics, pharmacists and suppliers are treating the sector less like a niche and more like an expanding healthcare market. The main signals line up as follows: How the UK market is expanding | Signal | What the reporting says | Why it matters | Source | |---|---|---|---| | Imports and product choice | More than 30,000 kilograms imported in 2025, while the number of products available to patients more than doubled | Suggests demand and supply are widening together, not moving in isolation | [Business of Cannabis report on the UK market](https://businessofcannabis.com/uk-medical-cannabis-market-growing-faster-than-anyone-expected/ "Business of Cannabis report on the UK market") | | Market value and patient outlook | $298 million estimated market value in 2025, 104% year-on-year growth, and more than 40,000 additional patients expected by end-2026 | Shows the market is moving into a larger commercial and clinical phase | [Prohibition Partners global medical cannabis market review 2026](https://prohibitionpartners.com/2026/03/26/five-takeaways-from-the-global-medical-cannabis-market-review-2026/ "Prohibition Partners global medical cannabis market review 2026") | ## Pharmacists and clinics now sit at the centre of access The prescribing side helps explain why the sector can grow so quickly. In England, [FOI data on the top CBPM prescribers](https://businessofcannabis.com/nine-of-the-ten-top-cbpm-prescribers-are-pharmacists-foi-data-shows/ "FOI data on the top CBPM prescribers") showed that nine of the ten highest prescribers were pharmacists, a sign that the market is still being built around specialist clinic and pharmacy workflows rather than conventional hospital pathways. ### Why the prescriber mix matters That mix matters for three practical reasons: - It points to a sector that is still highly dependent on private-clinic access routes. - It suggests pharmacists are not just dispensing products but shaping how patients move into treatment. - It helps explain why product availability and prescriber supply have expanded in step with patient demand. A photographer covering the sector would likely find the story in the paperwork and the workflow, not in any generic cannabis imagery: [![A pharmacist reviewing medical cannabis prescribing paperwork in an office.](/images/uploads/22d0a307-f6a6-479d-ba63-9548890b3a38/european-union-uk-medical-cannabis-market-is-growing-faster-than-expected-a-pharmacist-rev-1920x1080.jpg)](/images/uploads/22d0a307-f6a6-479d-ba63-9548890b3a38/european-union-uk-medical-cannabis-market-is-growing-faster-than-expected-a-pharmacist-rev-1920x1080.avif "View image full size") Pharmacists now sit close to the centre of the prescribing model. ## The regulatory question has not gone away Seven years after cannabis was rescheduled for medical use, the market still has a regulatory problem to solve: access is improving, but the system is not yet settled. An [OpenAccessGovernment overview of the current UK market](https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/current-status-of-medical-cannabis-in-the-uk/202104/ "OpenAccessGovernment overview of the current UK market") said barriers remain for patients and challenges remain for clinicians, even as the market continues to evolve. Why the oversight debate matters When demand rises faster than the rules that govern clinics and prescribing, growth can look strong on paper while access remains uneven in practice. ## What the UK surge means for Europe’s medical-cannabis debate For an international audience, the UK is useful less as an exception than as a signal. It shows how quickly a medical cannabis market can move once products multiply, prescribers become more visible and patient awareness starts to reinforce demand. Readers usually ask the same practical questions about the current numbers: Reader questions about the UK market How much medical cannabis did the UK import in 2025?Prohibition Partners said the UK imported more than 30,000 kilograms of cannabis-based medicinal products in 2025. How fast is the market growing?The reporting says imports more than doubled for the second consecutive year, product availability more than doubled, and Prohibition Partners estimated 104% year-on-year growth in 2025. How many more patients are expected by the end of 2026?Prohibition Partners expects the market to expand by more than 40,000 patients by the end of 2026. Who appears to be doing much of the prescribing?FOI data published by Business of Cannabis showed that nine of the ten top CBPM prescribers were pharmacists. Key takeaways - The UK imported more than 30,000 kilograms of CBPMs in 2025, while product availability more than doubled. - Prohibition Partners estimated the UK market at $298 million in 2025 and forecast more than 40,000 additional patients by end-2026. - FOI data showed pharmacists dominate the top end of prescribing, underscoring the clinic-led shape of the market. - The growth story now raises a governance question: access is expanding faster than the rules that govern it. The UK story is no longer about whether medical cannabis exists as a market; it is about how fast that market can scale and how carefully it is supervised while it does. The latest data point to a sector still in expansion mode, with imports, products and patient numbers all moving up together. ## Sources 1. [Five Takeaways from the Global Medical Cannabis Market Review 2026 (prohibitionpartners.com)](https://prohibitionpartners.com/2026/03/26/five-takeaways-from-the-global-medical-cannabis-market-review-2026/ "Open source in a new tab: https://prohibitionpartners.com/2026/03/26/five-takeaways-from-the-global-medical-cannabis-market-review-2026/") 2. [Nine of the Ten Top CBPM Prescribers Are Pharmacists, FOI Data Shows (businessofcannabis.com)](https://businessofcannabis.com/nine-of-the-ten-top-cbpm-prescribers-are-pharmacists-foi-data-shows/ "Open source in a new tab: https://businessofcannabis.com/nine-of-the-ten-top-cbpm-prescribers-are-pharmacists-foi-data-shows/") 3. [Current status of medical cannabis in the UK (openaccessgovernment.org)](https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/current-status-of-medical-cannabis-in-the-uk/202104/ "Open source in a new tab: https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/current-status-of-medical-cannabis-in-the-uk/202104/")