Closed petition Allow medicinal cannabis to be prescribed by GPs

Closed on 10 November 2021

Currently GPs aren’t allowed to prescribe cannabis-based medicine to relieve their patients’ symptoms. Instead, patients need to receive a referral from their GP to a hospital specialist who can then prescribe medical cannabis. I propose we change the law to allow GPs to prescribe medical cannabis.

Allowing GPs to prescribe medical cannabis would largely widen the pool of potential prescribers, allowing more people who need medical cannabis to relieve their pain to access it. GPs tend to be the first point of contact for patients and are often the main doctor involved with overseeing and coordinating medical treatments and managing day-to-day symptoms. GPs also tend to have a deep understanding of complex overlapping chronic illnesses and the quality of life issues facing patients.