On the 1st November, the UK and Poland mark another year of legal access to medical cannabis. Access by legislation is only the first step. Clinicians also need clear, current, evidence-based education, and that is why we built Curaleaf Education.
Starting in November 2017, an amendment to Poland’s Act on Counteracting Drug Addiction came into force, allowing cannabis to be prescribed and dispensed for medical purposes. Exactly one year later, on 1 November 2018, the UK moved cannabis-based products for medicinal use (CBPMs) from Schedule 1 to Schedule 2 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001. For the first time, specialist doctors on the GMC Specialist Register could prescribe them.
This year, Poland marks nine and the UK marks eight years on from changing patient access. Much has changed, but there is more to do. Now is the time to reflect on both.
Both countries saw changes in legalisation as direct response from patient stories, advocacy and campaigning, due to the real-world experience of people using medical cannabis to manage symptoms, particularly epilepsy.
The two frameworks work differently in practice, as is common across international medical cannabis markets. In Poland, physicians can prescribe cannabis-based preparations, which pharmacies then dispense. In the UK, only specialist doctors can initiate a prescription, and most patients currently get access through private clinics rather than the NHS. Each model shapes who prescribes, how patients access treatment, and what clinicians need to know.
However, there is an overarching question across the international markets since legalisation: has clinical education kept pace with the law?
This is where the gap is most prominent. The law changed rapidly, but medical training did not. Most doctors practising today qualified before cannabis-based medicines were part of any curriculum. Moreover, most medical curriculum still fails to address the endocannabinoid system (ECS) or medical cannabis-based treatments.
It is largely understood that many healthcare professionals, both prescribers or those supporting patients who are prescribed, still say they lack the confidence to discuss them with patients, let alone to assess the medical use, monitor outcomes or manage interactions. Meanwhile the evidence keeps developing, and clinicians must make sense of it alongside their existing resources.
This is why we have built Curaleaf Education (curaleafeducation.com), specifically for healthcare professionals.
It offers free, independent, evidence-based learning on cannabis-based medicines that reflects the localisation and specific regulations of each market, reflecting how the practicalities of access.
The site first launched in the UK and each module is accredited by the CPD. Courses are also now available in Polish. Curaleaf International is committed to providing access to the resource, with expansion plans for other markets too.
Nine years on in Poland and eight in the UK, the question is no longer whether medical cannabis can be prescribed to eligible patients. It is whether every clinician who might prescribe it has the knowledge to do so with confidence. That is the next milestone worth working towards.
Disclaimer: This isn’t medical advice, please consult with your doctor for suitable treatment.
