The practical answer is that there is no single UK price for medical cannabis. If you are using a private route, you may be paying for the clinic assessment, follow-up appointments, prescription or repeat admin, delivery, and the prescribed medicine itself. Some clinics bundle parts of that into a monthly plan. Others charge per appointment. The medicine cost usually sits separately and depends on what the prescriber decides is clinically suitable.
That is the bit to keep clear: price matters, but it is not the same as suitability. Medical cannabis is a prescribed medicine. The decision about whether it is appropriate, what form is considered, how much is prescribed, and what monitoring is needed sits with a specialist prescriber or clinical team, not with a price page.
This guide is not a clinic recommendation or a tariff. It is a way to read the costs without being misled by the cheapest-looking headline.
Why NHS and private costs look so different
On the NHS, cannabis-based medicine is only likely to be prescribed for a small number of patients. The NHS says it is currently most likely to be considered for rare severe forms of epilepsy, chemotherapy-related nausea or vomiting, and muscle stiffness or spasms from MS, usually where other treatments were not suitable or had not helped. NHS prescribing is specialist-led.
That is why many people searching for medical cannabis costs are really asking about private care. Private prescribing is legally possible in the UK, but it still has a specialist boundary. NHS England says private doctors on the General Medical Council Specialist Register can prescribe cannabis-based products for medicinal use. GMC guidance also says unlicensed cannabis-based medicinal products must be supplied by, or under the direction of, a doctor on the Specialist Register.
So the private route may be more visible to patients, but it is not meant to work like buying a product from a shelf. A proper assessment still needs medical records, suitability checks, risk review, and follow-up. If you are at the early stage, your Summary Care Record from your GP surgery is usually the practical records document to start with. The clinic may ask for more if the SCR does not show enough detail.
For more on the route itself, read MCPH's guide to how the medical cannabis prescription process works in the UK. If you are still trying to understand whether you may qualify, the medical cannabis qualifying conditions guide is the better next step.
The main costs to check
When a clinic publishes a low headline fee, look for what is included and what is not. The useful breakdown is usually:
- Initial assessment or first consultation.
- Follow-up appointments.
- Ongoing review appointments.
- Prescription or repeat prescription fees.
- Dispensing or pharmacy fees.
- Delivery fees.
- Travel letters, if needed.
- The prescribed medicine itself.
- Cancellation or missed appointment fees.
- What happens if the clinician decides not to prescribe.
The medicine cost is the hardest part to compare. It can vary by product type, prescribed amount, pharmacy supply, stock, and any changes the prescriber makes after review. Flower, oil, extract, cartridges or other forms are not interchangeable shopping choices. A patient can raise preferences and practical concerns, but the prescriber decides what is clinically appropriate.
That is why a monthly cost estimate can be misleading. A person on a small amount of one medicine is not in the same position as someone needing a different form, different monitoring, or more frequent review.
Dated examples from clinic pricing pages
The examples below were checked on 28 June 2026. They are included to show how clinics present fees, not to recommend a clinic or state a UK average. Prices can change, and the source pages should be re-checked before publication or before making a decision.
Curaleaf Clinic's pricing page showed a pay-per-appointment option at GBP30 per appointment, a monthly subscription at GBP5 per month, and an annual plan at GBP50 upfront. The same page said the pricing did not include the cost of medicine, because that varies depending on what is prescribed.
Mamedica's pricing page showed different plan structures, including a GBP49 Flex onboarding fee, a GBP150 Standard onboarding fee, and a GBP200 Access onboarding fee for eligible patients. The page also said medication costs are not included and prescribed cannabis medication is separate.
Alternaleaf's pricing page showed pay-as-you-go appointments at GBP29 and a GBP5 monthly membership covering required online video appointments. It stated that medication was not included, that medication prices vary, and that flower starts from GBP5 per gram.
Releaf's pricing page showed a GBP99.99 consultation fee and a GBP39.99 per month Releaf+ plan. The page gave medicine examples, including flower from GBP7.99 per gram and 30ml oil at GBP134.99.
The pattern is more useful than the individual numbers. Clinics may charge in completely different ways. One may look cheaper because appointments are low-cost but medicine is separate. Another may bundle follow-up and delivery into a plan. Another may have a higher entry fee but fewer later clinic fees. You cannot compare them properly unless you know what is included.
Questions to ask before paying
A good cost check is not complicated. Ask the clinic for a written answer to these questions before you book or pay:
- What do I pay before the first clinical decision?
- If I am not prescribed, is any fee refunded?
- How many appointments are normally needed in year one?
- Are follow-up appointments included or charged separately?
- Are repeat prescriptions included?
- Is delivery included?
- Are travel letters included?
- Is the pharmacy separate from the clinic?
- How is medicine priced, and can the clinic give a realistic example without promising a product?
- What records do I need before the appointment?
- Who reviews suitability and ongoing monitoring?
If a page makes the cost feel simple, check the small print. If a page makes access sound automatic, treat that as a reason to slow down. Being invited to a consultation does not mean a prescription will be issued.
What not to do
Do not choose a clinic only because of the cheapest medicine example on a public page. A starting price is not the same as the cost of your prescription.
Do not assume a published appointment fee includes the medicine. In many cases it does not.
Do not assume private care removes the need for records. A prescriber needs enough information to make a safe decision. For many patients, that starts with the Summary Care Record from the GP surgery.
Do not buy cannabis or cannabis-style products online and treat them as a substitute for prescribed medical cannabis. The NHS warns that many cannabis-based products sold online may be illegal, their quality and contents may not be known, and they may be unsafe.
The safer way to think about cost
The useful question is not what is the cheapest medical cannabis in the UK? It is what would I pay for a properly assessed, legally prescribed, monitored route if a specialist decides I may benefit?
That framing keeps the money question connected to the clinical one. Medical cannabis can be accessible for suitable patients who may benefit, often where other treatments have not worked, caused problems, or are unsuitable. But cost pages do not decide suitability. A specialist prescriber does.
Before paying, compare the fee structure, check what is separate, ask what happens if you are not prescribed, and make sure you understand the follow-up costs. If the answer still feels vague, ask for a clearer breakdown.
Source trail
Official sources:
- NHS: Medical cannabis
- NICE NG144: Cannabis-based medicinal products
- NHS England: Cannabis-based products for medicinal use
- GMC: Information for doctors on cannabis-based products for medicinal use
- CQC: Cannabis-based medicinal products – what CQC expects from providers
- GOV.UK: Supply unlicensed medicinal products specials
Commercial pricing examples checked on 28 June 2026:
MCPH governance:
