OVER 6,000 UK medical cannabis patients being treated with medical cannabis for anxiety, depression and PTSD have reported significant improvements with over 90% saying it surpassed the effectiveness of alternative medications.
The multi-clinic patient survey spanned four of the UK’s leading medical cannabis providers, namely: Mamedica, Alternaleaf, CB1 Medical and Curaleaf.
It gathered responses from 6,282 patients in total, including a 5,128-patient sub-cohort prescribed treatment for anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), reflecting a population with long-term and often highly complex clinical needs.
Among this group, 97.6% reported improvement in symptoms, 92.3% reported improvement in sleep, and 93.5% reported improvement in their ability to function day to day.
A further 90.7% said medical cannabis was more effective than previous treatments tried, while 88.3% said it was the most effective treatment they had tried for their condition.
The findings land against sustained pressure on UK mental health services, with more than four million people in contact with NHS mental health, learning disability and autism services in 2024/25.
Based on their clinical experience and the outcomes reported by patients, the clinics within the consortium are calling for increased government and research-council funding for randomised controlled trials examining cannabis-based medicinal products in treatment-resistant anxiety, depression and PTSD.
They are also urging continued recognition of the role played by the UK Medical Cannabis Registry and other real-world data sources in supporting pharmacovigilance and long-term outcomes research, alongside a more transparent, sector-wide approach to publishing patient outcomes, with this survey intended as an initial step towards broader data sharing and clinical scrutiny.
Mike Barnes, Chair of The Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society said: “These findings reflect what clinicians see in practice: that for carefully selected patients with genuine unmet need, medical cannabis can form a meaningful part of a broader treatment plan.
“Data at this scale, showing improvement across symptoms, sleep and daily functioning, do not prove causation, but they are too substantial to set aside.
“We need better trials, and we support government funding for rigorous independent research. In the meantime, this kind of multi-clinic collaboration on patient experience is exactly the transparency the sector needs.”
Australian medical cannabis sales tanked by over a quarter in the second half of 2025, following a clampdown on the previous ‘profit before patient’ model
A report from the Penington Institute shows that medical cannabis sales peaked in the second half of 2024 at 3.72m units before falling to 2.65m units in the second half of 2025 – a fall of by 28.5% – marking the first reversal since the market was legalised in early 2016.
This rapid decline follows a recent clampdown by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration which has issued dozens of infringement notices to six cannabis businesses and two individuals for the alleged unlawful advertising of medicinal cannabis on their websites and social media platforms.
Enforcement action was also taken against more than 50 medical practitioners. Concerns had first been raised in 2023 after claims that ‘high-volume clinics were prioritising profit over patient care through practices like brief consultations, unlawful advertising, and “closed loop” business models
However the Penington Institute warns the Australian government that while strengthening enforcement is important, this must be balanced with protecting patient access to cannabis.
“Evidence indicates that, amid the rapid growth of the sector, commercially driven structures and associated high-volume prescribing have been the weakest points in safeguarding patient wellbeing.
“The recent increase in regulatory compliance and enforcement represents a positive development and is likely a key factor in the observed decline in medicinal cannabis sales in late 2025.”
Israel’s Health Ministry has recommended an end to the use and marketing of medical cannabis for smoking within the next three years.
This follows a 2023 recommendation by the Israel Medical Association that medical cannabis be administered primarily in oil form so that the harmful effects of smoking are mitigated.
The plan would phase out the smoking of medical cannabis and patients would use extracts or precision inhalers.
There has been a sharp uptick in the number of medical cannabis license holders from 33,000 in 2019 to 140,000 in 2025, said Dr Gilad Bodenheimer, head of the ministry’s mental health division, and chairman of the ministry’s special committee on medical cannabis.
According to the data presented to the committee, 62% of patients consume more than 30 grams of cannabis per month.
There is widespread use of preparations with high-THC concentrations, which appear in about 88% of licences, as well as an almost complete dominance of consumption by smoking.
The medical group noted that smoking cannabis ‘is more typical of recreational consumption than of consumption as part of medical treatment’ and added that the ‘widespread practice of mixing cannabis with tobacco’ is a factor in ‘an increase in tobacco addiction and an increase in smoking rates’.
Dutch cannabis stalwart Bedrocan has launched a new product line of standardised cannabinoid-based formulations, known as Bedromed.
They come in two dispensing formulations as a spray, and as drops with Bedromed spray being a standardised cannabinoid-based formulation developed for sublingual administration based on Bedrocan® and Bedrolina® cannabis APIs.
Whilst Bedromed drops is a standardised cannabinoid-based formulation developed for oromucosal administration and is based on Bedrocan® cannabis API.
CEO, Jaap Erkelens said: “The launch of Bedromed is a significant expansion of our portfolio, allowing us to bring our trusted API closer to the patient alongside our core commitment to API supply.
“By offering new cannabinoid-based formulations, we ensure that the pharmaceutical-grade consistency we are known for is now accessible in modern, patient-appropriate delivery formats.”
Adolescents in California see cannabis as less harmful than other commonly used substances, according to a new study.
Shu-Hong Zhu, professor at the UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science and co-authors, examined how teens view the risks of everyday and occasional use of cannabis compared to alcohol, nicotine vapes and cigarettes, drawing on responses from more than 175,000 students across surveys conducted in 2019–2020 and 2024.
The findings show a clear and persistent pattern; Cannabis is viewed as the least harmful substance among respondents.
In the earlier survey, about two-thirds of adolescents considered regular cannabis use harmful, compared to higher proportions for alcohol, vaping and cigarettes.
While perceptions of harm were lower across all substances for occasional use, cannabis remained the least concerning to teens. These trends held steady in the 2024 data, suggesting that adolescents’ relatively low perception of cannabis-related risk has remained consistent over time.
The post International News Round-Up: UK’s largest patient-clinic survey, Australian medical cannabis sales plummet, smokable ban looms in Israel and more… appeared first on Business of Cannabis.
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The multi-clinic patient survey spanned four of the UK’s leading medical cannabis providers, namely: Mamedica, Alternaleaf, CB1 Medical and Curaleaf.
It gathered responses from 6,282 patients in total, including a 5,128-patient sub-cohort prescribed treatment for anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), reflecting a population with long-term and often highly complex clinical needs.
Among this group, 97.6% reported improvement in symptoms, 92.3% reported improvement in sleep, and 93.5% reported improvement in their ability to function day to day.
A further 90.7% said medical cannabis was more effective than previous treatments tried, while 88.3% said it was the most effective treatment they had tried for their condition.
The findings land against sustained pressure on UK mental health services, with more than four million people in contact with NHS mental health, learning disability and autism services in 2024/25.
Based on their clinical experience and the outcomes reported by patients, the clinics within the consortium are calling for increased government and research-council funding for randomised controlled trials examining cannabis-based medicinal products in treatment-resistant anxiety, depression and PTSD.
They are also urging continued recognition of the role played by the UK Medical Cannabis Registry and other real-world data sources in supporting pharmacovigilance and long-term outcomes research, alongside a more transparent, sector-wide approach to publishing patient outcomes, with this survey intended as an initial step towards broader data sharing and clinical scrutiny.
Mike Barnes, Chair of The Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society said: “These findings reflect what clinicians see in practice: that for carefully selected patients with genuine unmet need, medical cannabis can form a meaningful part of a broader treatment plan.
“Data at this scale, showing improvement across symptoms, sleep and daily functioning, do not prove causation, but they are too substantial to set aside.
“We need better trials, and we support government funding for rigorous independent research. In the meantime, this kind of multi-clinic collaboration on patient experience is exactly the transparency the sector needs.”
Australian sales plummet
Australian medical cannabis sales tanked by over a quarter in the second half of 2025, following a clampdown on the previous ‘profit before patient’ model
A report from the Penington Institute shows that medical cannabis sales peaked in the second half of 2024 at 3.72m units before falling to 2.65m units in the second half of 2025 – a fall of by 28.5% – marking the first reversal since the market was legalised in early 2016.
This rapid decline follows a recent clampdown by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration which has issued dozens of infringement notices to six cannabis businesses and two individuals for the alleged unlawful advertising of medicinal cannabis on their websites and social media platforms.
Enforcement action was also taken against more than 50 medical practitioners. Concerns had first been raised in 2023 after claims that ‘high-volume clinics were prioritising profit over patient care through practices like brief consultations, unlawful advertising, and “closed loop” business models
However the Penington Institute warns the Australian government that while strengthening enforcement is important, this must be balanced with protecting patient access to cannabis.
“Evidence indicates that, amid the rapid growth of the sector, commercially driven structures and associated high-volume prescribing have been the weakest points in safeguarding patient wellbeing.
“The recent increase in regulatory compliance and enforcement represents a positive development and is likely a key factor in the observed decline in medicinal cannabis sales in late 2025.”
Three years until an Israeli smoking ban?
Israel’s Health Ministry has recommended an end to the use and marketing of medical cannabis for smoking within the next three years.
This follows a 2023 recommendation by the Israel Medical Association that medical cannabis be administered primarily in oil form so that the harmful effects of smoking are mitigated.
The plan would phase out the smoking of medical cannabis and patients would use extracts or precision inhalers.
There has been a sharp uptick in the number of medical cannabis license holders from 33,000 in 2019 to 140,000 in 2025, said Dr Gilad Bodenheimer, head of the ministry’s mental health division, and chairman of the ministry’s special committee on medical cannabis.
According to the data presented to the committee, 62% of patients consume more than 30 grams of cannabis per month.
There is widespread use of preparations with high-THC concentrations, which appear in about 88% of licences, as well as an almost complete dominance of consumption by smoking.
The medical group noted that smoking cannabis ‘is more typical of recreational consumption than of consumption as part of medical treatment’ and added that the ‘widespread practice of mixing cannabis with tobacco’ is a factor in ‘an increase in tobacco addiction and an increase in smoking rates’.
Bedrocan diversifies
Dutch cannabis stalwart Bedrocan has launched a new product line of standardised cannabinoid-based formulations, known as Bedromed.
They come in two dispensing formulations as a spray, and as drops with Bedromed spray being a standardised cannabinoid-based formulation developed for sublingual administration based on Bedrocan® and Bedrolina® cannabis APIs.
Whilst Bedromed drops is a standardised cannabinoid-based formulation developed for oromucosal administration and is based on Bedrocan® cannabis API.
CEO, Jaap Erkelens said: “The launch of Bedromed is a significant expansion of our portfolio, allowing us to bring our trusted API closer to the patient alongside our core commitment to API supply.
“By offering new cannabinoid-based formulations, we ensure that the pharmaceutical-grade consistency we are known for is now accessible in modern, patient-appropriate delivery formats.”
Cannabis ‘less harmful’
Adolescents in California see cannabis as less harmful than other commonly used substances, according to a new study.
Shu-Hong Zhu, professor at the UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science and co-authors, examined how teens view the risks of everyday and occasional use of cannabis compared to alcohol, nicotine vapes and cigarettes, drawing on responses from more than 175,000 students across surveys conducted in 2019–2020 and 2024.
The findings show a clear and persistent pattern; Cannabis is viewed as the least harmful substance among respondents.
In the earlier survey, about two-thirds of adolescents considered regular cannabis use harmful, compared to higher proportions for alcohol, vaping and cigarettes.
While perceptions of harm were lower across all substances for occasional use, cannabis remained the least concerning to teens. These trends held steady in the 2024 data, suggesting that adolescents’ relatively low perception of cannabis-related risk has remained consistent over time.
The post International News Round-Up: UK’s largest patient-clinic survey, Australian medical cannabis sales plummet, smokable ban looms in Israel and more… appeared first on Business of Cannabis.
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