Guidance and information on prescribing and supply of cannabis-based products for medicinal use

6th November 2018

Guidance is now available to help health professionals with the prescribing and supply of cannabis-based products for medicinal use, which were rescheduled in England, Wales and Scotland on the 1 November 2018 from Schedule 1 to Schedule 2 (see our previous news item).

Cannabis-based products for medicinal use: Guidance to clinicians (NHS England)

Guidance on the supply, manufacture, importation and distribution of unlicensed cannabis-based products for medicinal use in ‘specials’ (MHRA)

Interim clinical guidelines have also been produced by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and the British Paediatric neurology Association (BPNA), to support prescribing decisions.

RCP interim guidance

BPNA interim guidance

Finally, information for patients and the public is available on the NHS website.

Editor’s notes

Also see the recently updated PCF Cannabinoids, which reflects and was used to help inform the RCP guidance for use in palliative care.

The legislative changes do not apply to;

• synthetic versions of naturally occurring cannabinoids e.g. dronabinol (not UK)
• chemically synthesized derivatives e.g. nabilone
• Sativex^® (an authorized product in Schedule 4).