PatientsCann UK Statement on NPCC Guidance for Policing Medical Cannabis Patients
The NPCC has instructed forces to treat medicinal cannabis patients as "patients first, suspects second." We welcome this, with important caveats about the gap between guidance and street-level reality.
What the NPCC Guidance Says
- Officers should treat those in lawful possession as patients first, suspects second
- People with a valid prescription should be assumed to be patients until proven otherwise
- A Cancard is not legally required and its absence cannot be used against a patient
Our Concerns
- Significant proportion of officers may still be unaware medical cannabis is legally prescribable
- Some forces lack internal training or up-to-date briefing materials
- Guidance on paper does not automatically become consistent street-level practice
Why Guidance Is Not Enough Without Understanding
It is an ongoing reality that many frontline officers still lack accurate awareness of the legal status of medical cannabis. Independent research has indicated that a significant proportion of officers may still be unaware that medical cannabis can be legally prescribed in the UK, even years after the law changed in 2018.
Previous Freedom of Information responses showed that some police forces did not have internal training or up-to-date briefing materials on this subject, leaving officers to rely primarily on older Home Office circulars and personal discretion.
This gap between policy and practice raises serious concerns. Unless officers are consistently aware of the legal framework, understand how to verify lawful possession, and are trained to apply the guidance, the lived experience of patients may not improve significantly.
On Cancard: The Clarification That Was Needed
The NPCC guidance confirms that a Cancard is not legally required for patients with a valid prescription, a vital clarification given the confusion that has surrounded this scheme. Cancard was originally introduced to assist officers in identifying individuals claiming medical need. However, it has always been a discretionary tool, not legal proof of lawful possession.
Simply put: A card indicating intent or condition does not change the law. What matters is the prescription. Patients with a valid prescription from an appropriate specialist clinician are in lawful possession, with or without a card.
