If you are working out how to access medical cannabis in Wales, the starting point is understanding the two distinct routes: NHS Wales care and private UK prescribing. Both routes exist, but they work differently and the practical steps differ.
NHS Wales has its own governance structure. Unlike NHS England, Wales is organised into seven Local Health Boards that plan and deliver services for their populations, plus three all-Wales trusts. This structural difference means the NHS cannabis prescribing pathway in Wales may involve different decision-making bodies than in England, though the clinical principles are similar.
That does not mean there is no conversation to have. It means the next step is an informed clinical one: understand your records, current medicines and the care route already involved in your condition. Medical cannabis can affect other medicines and needs ongoing clinical monitoring.
For the wider UK picture, see MCPH's Patient Guide and guide to the medical cannabis prescription process.
The NHS Wales route
NHS Wales follows the same overarching UK regulatory framework for cannabis-based products for medicinal use (CBPMs) as the rest of the UK. Prescribing is specialist-led: a GP cannot initiate a CBPM prescription. The decision rests with a specialist hospital doctor who considers your diagnosis, treatment history, other medicines and clinical circumstances.
In practice, NHS Wales prescribing of unlicensed cannabis-based medicines is very limited. As with NHS England and NHS Scotland, it is typically reserved for specific clinical scenarios where other treatments have not worked and where there is some evidence to support a trial. This may include:
- severe treatment-resistant epilepsy;
- chemotherapy-related nausea or vomiting where standard antiemetics have not worked;
- muscle stiffness or spasms caused by multiple sclerosis where other treatments have not provided sufficient relief.
The fact that a condition is listed does not mean you are automatically eligible. A specialist must assess your individual situation and determine whether a cannabis-based medicine is appropriate. This is not a box-ticking exercise; it is a clinical judgement.
If you are already under a hospital consultant for your condition, that team is the most appropriate starting point for a discussion. If you are only under GP care, you may need to ask what the referral pathway is in your Health Board area.
Welsh Health Boards: what they mean for access
Wales has seven Local Health Boards:
- Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
- Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
- Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
- Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
- Hywel Dda University Health Board
- Powys Teaching Health Board
- Swansea Bay University Health Board
Each Health Board is responsible for planning and delivering NHS services in its area. This means that prescribing policies, specialist availability and referral pathways may vary between Health Boards. What is available in Cardiff and Vale may not be the same as what is available in Betsi Cadwaladr or Hywel Dda.
This does not mean you cannot access care. It means you should ask your GP or existing consultant which service is responsible for your condition in your area, and what the clinical conversation should be. Do not assume that a pathway described online for one Health Board applies automatically to yours.
What your GP can and cannot do in Wales
As in the rest of the UK, a GP in Wales cannot prescribe unlicensed cannabis-based medicines on the NHS. This can feel like a dead end, but it is simply the boundary of the GP role in this particular pathway.
Your GP surgery can still help with practical groundwork:
- you can request a summary of your medical records, including previous treatments and outcomes;
- you can ask which hospital service or specialist is involved in your care;
- you can check that your medication list is up to date and complete;
- you can ask about any safety concerns related to your health history and potential medicines.
Useful questions for your GP include:
- Which clinician or service is currently responsible for my condition?
- What treatments and outcomes are recorded in my notes?
- Is there anything in my medication list, mental-health history or other health history that a specialist would need to know?
- If I develop a side effect or concern with any medicine, who should I contact?
You do not need to build a case from social-media claims or buy extra paperwork before anyone has asked for it. A clear, honest account of your condition, current medicines, previous treatments and concerns is more useful.
Private medical cannabis care and Welsh patients
Many Welsh patients access medical cannabis through private UK clinics. These clinics operate under UK-wide regulations: private doctors on the GMC Specialist Register can legally prescribe cannabis-based products for medicinal use. This is a separate route from NHS Wales care and should be understood plainly.
Because most private cannabis clinics are based in England, Welsh patients often attend appointments remotely (via video consultation) and receive medication by courier delivery. This is a well-established practice, but there are practical points to be aware of:
- remote appointments are standard across the UK private sector;
- medication is delivered by pharmacy courier, which may have different delivery timeframes to rural or remote parts of Wales;
- your NHS Wales GP is not obliged to take over prescribing or enter into a shared-care arrangement with a private clinic;
- any questions about prescriptions crossing the England-Wales border for dispensing are for the clinic and pharmacy to answer, not something to assume.
Private care does not convert an NHS Wales route into an NHS prescription, and it does not mean a GP has to take over prescribing. Keep this distinction clear when reading provider information. MCPH's NHS versus private medical cannabis prescriptions guide explains this in more detail.
Cross-border considerations
Welsh patients using English-based private clinics should check with the clinic:
- whether there are any restrictions on prescribing to patients registered with a Welsh GP;
- how prescriptions are sent to a dispensing pharmacy and whether there are any Wales-specific pharmacy restrictions;
- what the process is for sharing clinical information with your NHS Wales GP (with your consent);
- whether the clinic has experience with patients from your Health Board area.
Most established clinics will have Welsh patients and be familiar with these practicalities. If a clinic seems unsure or cannot answer straightforward questions about cross-border arrangements, treat that as a reason to ask more questions before booking.
Welsh health resources
Useful Welsh-specific resources include:
- NHS Wales — the main NHS Wales website with links to your Local Health Board;
- NHS 111 Wales — for urgent health advice;
- Health Check Wales — for finding local NHS services;
- Your Local Health Board website — for information on specialist services and referral pathways in your area.
If you are unsure which Health Board covers your area, the NHS Wales website has a postcode checker.
What to prepare before a clinical discussion
Whether you are speaking to an NHS Wales specialist or a private clinician, the same preparation helps:
- the condition or symptoms you want to discuss, in your own words;
- the treatments you have tried and what happened with them;
- your current prescription and over-the-counter medicines, supplements and any allergies;
- relevant hospital letters or clinic correspondence, if you already have them;
- questions about interactions, monitoring, side effects and what to do if you feel unwell.
Medical cannabis can affect how other medicines work and may affect liver function. This is why the prescribing specialist discusses interactions and monitors treatment. Disclose your full medicines list; do not make changes yourself before an appointment.
For a simple checklist of concerns to raise, use MCPH's medical cannabis side-effects guide. It is not a substitute for advice from the team responsible for your care.
Questions worth asking a specialist
- What is the reason this medicine is, or is not, being considered in my case?
- What other options should be considered first or alongside it?
- What information from my record is most important for this decision?
- What interactions or risks are relevant to my current medicines and health history?
- What monitoring, follow-up and side-effect reporting would apply if treatment were started?
Law, travel and online products
This guide is about access and assessment, not legal clearance. A prescribed medicine and a non-prescribed online product are not automatically equivalent. Travel with controlled medicines, driving and other legal questions have separate rules. Use current GOV.UK controlled-medicine travel guidance, GOV.UK drug-driving guidance and ask your prescriber or dispensing pharmacy about your own prescription.
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot assess whether medical cannabis is suitable for you, recommend a clinic or product, or tell you to start, stop or change any medicine. Read MCPH's medical disclaimer for the full boundary.
Sources
- NHS Wales, NHS Wales Health Boards and Trusts.
- NHS England, Cannabis-based products for medicinal use (CBPMs).
- NICE, Cannabis-based medicinal products (NG144) (last reviewed 20 May 2025).
- GOV.UK, Take medicine in or out of the UK.
- GOV.UK, Drugs and driving: the law.
