The UK’s Border Force and airport security services have been on high alert for cannabis coming into and out of the country for some time, following a significant spike in seizures.
According to a March 2025 report from the National Crime Agency, almost 27 tonnes of cannabis were seized from smugglers flying into UK airports last year, a five-fold increase on 2023, while police and Border Force reported the highest level of cannabis seizures since records began.
While tackling the recent torrent of illegal cannabis entering the UK is understandably a priority for security services, far less attention has been paid to ensuring staff are adequately trained to recognise patients carrying legally prescribed medical cannabis.
This means that ensuring patients are treated fairly, legally, and with respect often falls to the prescribing clinics or patient-led organisations. Crucially, it piles the pressure onto patients, many of whom are already suffering from chronic pain and anxiety.
Rupa Shah, Chief Legal and Compliance Officer at UK clinic Releaf, explained: “It’s not just anxiety, it’s embarrassment. Nobody wants to be taken aside by security and have their medicine pot opened in view of other passengers.
“I know that it’s a situation that causes concern for many, because our patients frequently ask us what to do at the airport. Some patients meet that challenge by rehearsing a script before flying, with prepared answers to what it is, why they need it, who prescribed it.”
Airport security in the UK is overseen by a patchwork of organisations, including both private companies and government agencies.
Frontline passenger screening, like checking luggage and conducting body scans, is carried out by staff hired directly by individual, privately owned airports, such as Heathrow Airport Holdings, or third-party security firms.
While all their training must comply with national standards set by the Department for Transport (DfT), which oversees the UK’s National Aviation Security Programme, there is currently no specific guidance or training module focused on identifying patients carrying legally prescribed medical cannabis.
In practice, this means that this patchwork also extends to staff training around medical cannabis, and getting through security without issue can feel like a roll of the dice.
“Patients are allowed to travel with their prescribed medicine (subject to certain requirements and the rules of their destination country) but we’ve heard that it can feel like they’re breaking the rules. Most don’t know what to expect at the airport and, judging by the range of experiences posted on social media, we can’t be certain either. The reports are so varied and there doesn’t seem to be a standard approach; some patients breeze through, others get stopped, questioned or delayed,” Shah added.
Rupa Shah, Chief Legal and Compliance Officer, Releaf
“The worst part must be the not-knowing. And the fear of being singled-out, judged or made to feel like a criminal.”
Despite being legally allowed to travel to countries where medical cannabis is legal ‘on paper’, instances where these laws are misunderstood or misinterpreted, to the detriment of patients, are sadly all too common.
Earlier this year, Cannabis Health reported on the case of Adam Windish, Chief Revenue Officer at British Cannabis and Managing Director of the Canndr patient ID platform, who was stopped by Border Force officers at Heathrow Airport while travelling to the UK with legally prescribed medical cannabis for chronic pain.
Despite carrying all required documentation and having confirmed with the Home Office’s Drugs and Firearms Unit that he did not need to declare his medicine, Windish says officers refused to accept his prescription, insisting ‘it’s not legal in the UK’. He was detained for several hours and his medication was seized, starting a 15-month legal battle which he ultimately won.
UK Border Force, who will handle the questioning if a case is escalated by airport staff, also currently have no standardised or dedicated training on medical cannabis.
While this is just one of a string of examples of patients being remanded or having their medication seized, ‘there is a flip side’, Shah suggests.
“Some patients have told us that airport staff were brilliant. They experience sensible, informed, questions and a relaxed attitude. But inconsistency leads to worry and potentially even cancelled travel plans.
“So if patients are doing everything right, planning in advance and following the rules, the issue is not with them. And, I’d argue, it’s not the fault of individual staff either, it’s systemic. There appears to be no centralised training or protocol.”
Efforts have been made by organisations and individuals to provide training materials and education to the various security services and police forces, but without a top-down standardised training programme, these efforts remain a drop in the ocean.
“There are signs of progress, but it’s inconsistent and there’s a lack of transparency,” Shah continued.
“Patients have told us that some airports, particularly the busier ones which experience more medical cannabis patients passing through them, tend to be better. A staff member that knows the law can make all the difference but that’s not a viable system; it’s just luck.”
This patchwork inevitably means that ‘patients are carrying the responsibility for educating security staff’, a state of affairs Shah asserts is ‘the wrong way around’.
“The burden should not be on patients, many of whom are travelling with serious health conditions, to explain what compliance looks like. I’ve seen patients with cancer, epilepsy or trauma be forced to justify their medication in public and that’s because those that should know the rules simply do not know enough.”
Clinics like Releaf offer services to help ease the burden unfairly placed on patients’ shoulders, providing an entire toolkit with personalised travel letters, ID cards, and a library of dedicated travel resources.
“If a patient is feeling nervous and wants to call us to check what to pack, what to say or who to contact, that’s no problem; our patient support team will happily walk them through the key requirements. And although some patients have described it as a confusing process, many others have said that our documents and ID cards have helped them avoid a confrontation. Patients feel supported and confident that they’re not doing anything wrong.”
The absence of clear, visible guidance at security checkpoints is ‘critical’, according to Shah, who argues that this void allows ‘bias and fear’ to play out, leaving ‘both staff and patients to operate on assumptions’.
“It’s not enough for the Home Office to issue a PDF. We need proper training to be rolled out across security teams, customs and the police.”
Releaf is already working alongside police forces to educate staff on ‘real-life scenarios’, and states that ‘the government, airport authorities and police forces should work closely with clinics like Releaf to co-design educational materials and host training workshops.’
“We received amazing feedback from Wiltshire Police Constabulary for the workshop we conducted alongside Glass Pharms at their growing facility and that’s exactly the type of specific hands-on (rather than theoretical) training that the airport personnel need.
“I’d like to see clear and prominent signage at airports that explains how it’s safe and legal to travel with medical cannabis provided that the rules are followed… In the same way that patients with mobility needs can notify the airline or airport assistance team ahead of time, medical cannabis patients should have access to a pre-notification system to log their prescription so that security staff are briefed before they arrive.”
Fundamentally, however, Shah states that there needs to be a ‘complete shift in emphasis from suspicion to support’.
“Until the authorities treat medical cannabis like any other prescription, the negativity and stigma will persist. It’s not just a gap in policy that needs plugging with a memo that nobody will read, it’s a gap in recognising the dignity of patients.
“We talk to patients every week who worry about the stereotypes and suspicions associated with cannabis and here at Releaf we’re taking steps to address that – but it shouldn’t be our job alone to fix the system.
“We’re already hamstrung by advertising rules that prevent us from clearly promoting the benefits of medical cannabis, so it’s not easy to challenge the biases and lies; there must be greater efforts from the authorities to implement clear airport protocols for all medical cannabis patients. But we’re here to champion that.”
The post Legal Medicine Shouldn’t Make You Feel Like a Criminal at the Airport appeared first on Business of Cannabis.
Continue reading...
According to a March 2025 report from the National Crime Agency, almost 27 tonnes of cannabis were seized from smugglers flying into UK airports last year, a five-fold increase on 2023, while police and Border Force reported the highest level of cannabis seizures since records began.
While tackling the recent torrent of illegal cannabis entering the UK is understandably a priority for security services, far less attention has been paid to ensuring staff are adequately trained to recognise patients carrying legally prescribed medical cannabis.
This means that ensuring patients are treated fairly, legally, and with respect often falls to the prescribing clinics or patient-led organisations. Crucially, it piles the pressure onto patients, many of whom are already suffering from chronic pain and anxiety.
Rupa Shah, Chief Legal and Compliance Officer at UK clinic Releaf, explained: “It’s not just anxiety, it’s embarrassment. Nobody wants to be taken aside by security and have their medicine pot opened in view of other passengers.
“I know that it’s a situation that causes concern for many, because our patients frequently ask us what to do at the airport. Some patients meet that challenge by rehearsing a script before flying, with prepared answers to what it is, why they need it, who prescribed it.”
How well do airport security staff understand the rules around medical cannabis?
Airport security in the UK is overseen by a patchwork of organisations, including both private companies and government agencies.
Frontline passenger screening, like checking luggage and conducting body scans, is carried out by staff hired directly by individual, privately owned airports, such as Heathrow Airport Holdings, or third-party security firms.
While all their training must comply with national standards set by the Department for Transport (DfT), which oversees the UK’s National Aviation Security Programme, there is currently no specific guidance or training module focused on identifying patients carrying legally prescribed medical cannabis.
In practice, this means that this patchwork also extends to staff training around medical cannabis, and getting through security without issue can feel like a roll of the dice.
“Patients are allowed to travel with their prescribed medicine (subject to certain requirements and the rules of their destination country) but we’ve heard that it can feel like they’re breaking the rules. Most don’t know what to expect at the airport and, judging by the range of experiences posted on social media, we can’t be certain either. The reports are so varied and there doesn’t seem to be a standard approach; some patients breeze through, others get stopped, questioned or delayed,” Shah added.
Rupa Shah, Chief Legal and Compliance Officer, Releaf
“The worst part must be the not-knowing. And the fear of being singled-out, judged or made to feel like a criminal.”
Despite being legally allowed to travel to countries where medical cannabis is legal ‘on paper’, instances where these laws are misunderstood or misinterpreted, to the detriment of patients, are sadly all too common.
Earlier this year, Cannabis Health reported on the case of Adam Windish, Chief Revenue Officer at British Cannabis and Managing Director of the Canndr patient ID platform, who was stopped by Border Force officers at Heathrow Airport while travelling to the UK with legally prescribed medical cannabis for chronic pain.
Despite carrying all required documentation and having confirmed with the Home Office’s Drugs and Firearms Unit that he did not need to declare his medicine, Windish says officers refused to accept his prescription, insisting ‘it’s not legal in the UK’. He was detained for several hours and his medication was seized, starting a 15-month legal battle which he ultimately won.
UK Border Force, who will handle the questioning if a case is escalated by airport staff, also currently have no standardised or dedicated training on medical cannabis.
While this is just one of a string of examples of patients being remanded or having their medication seized, ‘there is a flip side’, Shah suggests.
“Some patients have told us that airport staff were brilliant. They experience sensible, informed, questions and a relaxed attitude. But inconsistency leads to worry and potentially even cancelled travel plans.
“So if patients are doing everything right, planning in advance and following the rules, the issue is not with them. And, I’d argue, it’s not the fault of individual staff either, it’s systemic. There appears to be no centralised training or protocol.”
Things are improving, but far too slowly
Efforts have been made by organisations and individuals to provide training materials and education to the various security services and police forces, but without a top-down standardised training programme, these efforts remain a drop in the ocean.
“There are signs of progress, but it’s inconsistent and there’s a lack of transparency,” Shah continued.
“Patients have told us that some airports, particularly the busier ones which experience more medical cannabis patients passing through them, tend to be better. A staff member that knows the law can make all the difference but that’s not a viable system; it’s just luck.”
This patchwork inevitably means that ‘patients are carrying the responsibility for educating security staff’, a state of affairs Shah asserts is ‘the wrong way around’.
“The burden should not be on patients, many of whom are travelling with serious health conditions, to explain what compliance looks like. I’ve seen patients with cancer, epilepsy or trauma be forced to justify their medication in public and that’s because those that should know the rules simply do not know enough.”
Clinics like Releaf offer services to help ease the burden unfairly placed on patients’ shoulders, providing an entire toolkit with personalised travel letters, ID cards, and a library of dedicated travel resources.
“If a patient is feeling nervous and wants to call us to check what to pack, what to say or who to contact, that’s no problem; our patient support team will happily walk them through the key requirements. And although some patients have described it as a confusing process, many others have said that our documents and ID cards have helped them avoid a confrontation. Patients feel supported and confident that they’re not doing anything wrong.”
What needs to change?
The absence of clear, visible guidance at security checkpoints is ‘critical’, according to Shah, who argues that this void allows ‘bias and fear’ to play out, leaving ‘both staff and patients to operate on assumptions’.
“It’s not enough for the Home Office to issue a PDF. We need proper training to be rolled out across security teams, customs and the police.”
Releaf is already working alongside police forces to educate staff on ‘real-life scenarios’, and states that ‘the government, airport authorities and police forces should work closely with clinics like Releaf to co-design educational materials and host training workshops.’
“We received amazing feedback from Wiltshire Police Constabulary for the workshop we conducted alongside Glass Pharms at their growing facility and that’s exactly the type of specific hands-on (rather than theoretical) training that the airport personnel need.
“I’d like to see clear and prominent signage at airports that explains how it’s safe and legal to travel with medical cannabis provided that the rules are followed… In the same way that patients with mobility needs can notify the airline or airport assistance team ahead of time, medical cannabis patients should have access to a pre-notification system to log their prescription so that security staff are briefed before they arrive.”
Fundamentally, however, Shah states that there needs to be a ‘complete shift in emphasis from suspicion to support’.
“Until the authorities treat medical cannabis like any other prescription, the negativity and stigma will persist. It’s not just a gap in policy that needs plugging with a memo that nobody will read, it’s a gap in recognising the dignity of patients.
“We talk to patients every week who worry about the stereotypes and suspicions associated with cannabis and here at Releaf we’re taking steps to address that – but it shouldn’t be our job alone to fix the system.
“We’re already hamstrung by advertising rules that prevent us from clearly promoting the benefits of medical cannabis, so it’s not easy to challenge the biases and lies; there must be greater efforts from the authorities to implement clear airport protocols for all medical cannabis patients. But we’re here to champion that.”
The post Legal Medicine Shouldn’t Make You Feel Like a Criminal at the Airport appeared first on Business of Cannabis.
Continue reading...
