The UK’s hashish business, one of many largest on the planet, sits at a crossroads. Does it select the pharmaceutically centered, extremely regulated route, or a extra adult-use tinged method with large manufacturers, large names, and massive development?
These opposing philosophies have been a fixed in the sector since its inception in 2018, pushed in no small half by its exclusion from the mainstream healthcare system and its reliance on non-public, usually profit-driven enterprise fashions.
Whereas the UK’s business has loved constant and sustainable development over the previous seven years, serving to it largely keep away from centered Authorities scrutiny, this might quickly change.
In June 2025, the Authorities commissioned the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Medication (ACMD) to overview the present proof on cannabis-based merchandise for medicinal (CBPMs) and think about whether or not the laws has had the meant influence and any unintended penalties, together with on scientific trials.
Moreover, whereas no official assertion has been made, quite a few business sources have alluded to a looming crackdown by the Medicines and Healthcare merchandise Regulatory Company (MHRA), apparently involved by the business’s importation of merchandise meant for client markets.
With the medical institution demanding extra scientific analysis into hashish earlier than contemplating its integration into the NHS, a time-consuming and expensive course of, even clinics with a staunchly pharmaceutical philosophy are sometimes compelled to work with bigger manufacturers with an adult-use positioning to outlive.
How large is the UK’s medical hashish market in the present day?
The scale of the UK’s market is notoriously tough to gauge, with affected person numbers and knowledge prevented from public disclosure as a result of business’s non-public framework.
Prohibition Companions just lately launched Insights Hub, and the UK Medical Hashish White Paper 2025 estimates that the business is anticipated to surpass €269 million in gross sales in 2025, and now has an energetic affected person base of roughly 50,000 – 60,000, with an estimated 80,000 people anticipated to obtain therapy with medical hashish all through 2025.
A method of gauging the present dimension and development of the UK’s market is by taking a look at import statistics. Enterprise of Hashish has acquired the most recent out there knowledge on imports to the UK through an FOI request to the Residence Workplace.
September 17, 2025
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What’s the UK Authorities’s perspective in direction of hashish?
To garner some concept of how the comparatively new Labour Authorities perceives hashish, and the way outstanding it’s within the political and societal zeitgeist, we’ve got mapped the mentions of ‘hashish’ and ‘medical hashish’ within the Commons and the Lords each within the 12 months earlier than Labour’s election, and within the 12 months to September 15, 2025.
Mentions of hashish within the UK Parliament have elevated notably because the change of presidency in 2024, rising from 34 within the remaining 12 months of the Conservative administration to 57 over the past 12 months below Labour.
Beneath the Conservatives, hashish was referenced solely often and largely within the context of crime, delinquent behaviour, and youth well being dangers. Medical hashish featured in only a handful of instances, sometimes raised in reference to particular person sufferers dealing with obstacles to NHS entry.
Against this, below Labour, the tone of debate has shifted. Whereas crime and public order stay essential themes, a rising share of parliamentary consideration is now centered on medical hashish and affected person entry, together with a devoted Westminster Corridor debate in January 2025 that drew cross-party contributions.
This marks a transparent broadening of the dialog: hashish is transferring from the political margins, the place it was framed largely as a law-and-order drawback, in direction of the mainstream of well being coverage dialogue.
The Conservative Authorities’s remaining 12 months in workplace
The Labour Authorities over the past 12 months
The submit How Has the UK Authorities’s Place on Hashish Modified Beneath Labour? appeared first on Enterprise of Hashish.
