Everything You Need to Know About Cannabis in the UK

However, questions are being raised since the introduction at the end of 2018 of cannabis use for medicinal purposes.

What Is the Status of Marijuana in the UK

It is quite clear: It remains illegal to possess, grow, distribute, sell or grow cannabis in the UK today. The law referring to its use was passed in 1928 and didn’t change since. Use and possession carry a maximum sentence of five years plus a fine left at the discretion of the police or the judge, but growing and supplying the class B drug carries a much steeper sentence: Up to fourteen years in jail plus a fine.

If someone is caught with less than an ounce, and the police consider that it was for personal use, they can issue a warning or a fine, at their leisure. There is nowhere in the UK where you can smoke weed, not even in your own home. In fact, drug use, in general, is taken very seriously by authorities, and that applies to marijuana as well. Here is more information on cannabis (in French).

A Softer Approach

Lately, it has been noticed that some police forces are being less stringent when it comes to cannabis use. When it is only for recreational use, police will most often offer a warning or simply let it go. The prosecution rates in many parts of the UK for holding cannabis have gone down exponentially as we can tell by the low rates in Cornwall and Devon (15%).

Furthermore, in Durham, the police force has clearly indicated that it would no longer fine recreational users of marijuana.

Medicinal Marijuana

At the end of 2018, the government ruled that it was okay for doctors to prescribe cannabis for medical purposes. Normally, it is intended in cases where the patient suffers from great pain. It is heavily monitored, although during the lockdown period, the rules were slightly modified to permit the users to get their prescription without having to go out. The doctor appointments were being held online and the cannabis sent through the mail.

There are three requirements for cannabis products to be considered in a treatment. First, it needs to be a preparation which contains cannabis, the resin, cannabinol or a derivative of it.

Secondly, it has to be produced only for human medicinal use and finally it needs to be considered a medicinal product. Anything else cannot be prescribed, including weed smoking.