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Seven Years for Progress, Four Days to Undermine It: The UK’s Cannabis Media Storm 

On 6 January 2026, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) approved the first official guidance on medical cannabis for officers in England and Wales, news that UK patients have been waiting since 2018 to receive. 

Patients, industry and the police all celebrated this as an imperfect, but overwhelmingly positive step in the right direction for all concerned, recognising the complexity of the issue and the central tenet that law enforcement should approach interactions with a ‘patients first, suspects second’ mindset. 

Its author Richard List QPM, a retired veteran police officer who used to lead the UK’s drugs squad, said himself: “In a liberal democracy, if you’re a patient and you’ve had a controlled drug that’s legitimately prescribed by a doctor, you shouldn’t have to worry about any interference from the police.”

Despite this, it took just days before multiple mainstream media outlets had either mischaracterised the guidance, or ignored it entirely in favour of sensationalist stories painting medical cannabis patients as ‘benefits claimants’ using ‘shocking loopholes’ to obtain ‘super strength cannabis’. 

While cannabis stigmatisation in the mainstream press is nothing new, a number of patients reached out to our sister publication Cannabis Health to share concerns about this coverage, especially in the wake of long-awaited recognition from law enforcement. 

Rupa Shah, Chief Legal and Compliance Officer at UK medical cannabis clinic Releaf, told Business of Cannabis: “It’s frustrating for us… that narrative needs to change. 

“We obviously want to promote our services, but when trying to educate and remove stigma, that’s difficult for us because of the unique restrictions on advertising. We are a commercial company, and by virtue of that, it makes it slightly more difficult. Ideally, trade bodies should be working with government and policy makers, but it’s something we’re still waiting on.”

“We’re in a unique position where I can have access to the people who might be able to change the narrative. But we’re still working within a system that is very, very heavily regulated.”

Why accurate coverage matters

Recently published (November 2025) peer-reviewed research from Lindsey Metcalf McGrath and Helen Beckett Wilson, paints a clear picture of the impact both a lack of police education and the continued stigmatisation in the mainstream press have on patients.  

The study, ‘Training the police on legalised medical cannabis: lessons in building public trust, reducing harm, and avoiding reputational damage’, found that of the 94 police constable apprentices, all around 18-months into operational duties, 9 in 10 (88%) said they knew ‘little or nothing about prescribed cannabis, with many having been misinformed during training. 

The research, which used data from clinics including Releaf, documented cases where untrained officers caused serious harm to patients: one was reported to social services with her fitness as a parent questioned, despite her legal cannabis prescription helping control epileptic seizures to the point where she no longer needed family support to care for her child. 

Black patients expressed particular anxiety about police encounters, given differential stop-and-search rates. 

“Situations where police handle things incorrectly and insensitively are particularly harmful given the high proportion of people being prescribed cannabis for anxiety disorders,” the researchers noted.

The study also revealed the deeply entrenched prohibitionist attitudes officers bring to cannabis encounters. Before training, when asked to write the first three words that came to mind about ‘cannabis users,’ officers’ responses included ‘baghead’ (pejorative UK slang for a drug user), ‘addict,’ ‘young,’ and ‘illegal.’

The researchers found that officers held ‘prohibitionist beliefs that cannabis possession is always synonymous with criminality’, beliefs they traced directly to their training. One officer stated bluntly: ‘Anyone is getting locked up. It is illegal to possess.’

“Prohibitionist narratives and stereotypes are correlated with pejorative beliefs which result in the stigmatisation of patients,” the study found.

As a prime example of this dynamic, Shah points to a recent case which ended in a formal complaint being brought against a senior police officer over comments linking the smell of cannabis to criminality. 

In response, advocacy group PatientsCann UK submitted a formal complaint against senior policing figures, arguing that such statements ignore the legal status of prescribed medical cannabis and could influence frontline policing attitudes. 

“If that’s what police officers are bringing to their interactions [with] patients, [that’s a] massive problem,” Shah said. 

The encouraging finding was that evidence-based training dramatically shifted both knowledge and attitudes. After a three-hour workshop covering the 2018 regulations, patient experiences, and proper verification procedures, 67% of officers said they knew “a lot” about prescribed cannabis, while use of the term ‘baghead’ dropped from 10 mentions to zero. References to ‘medical’ rose from three to 39. 

The November 2025 research concluded that ‘the updating of police training and procedures are crucial step in the implementation of legal reforms’ and that this remains ‘overdue in the UK’, with its absence ‘causing harm to patients and damaging the reputation of the police.’

Misleading media coverage adds another layer of confusion to an already complex implementation challenge, one that will play out across 43 police forces over months and years.

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The media storm

One of the only mainstream publications to cover the news directly was the Telegraph, which ran a story titled ‘Police told not to arrest cannabis users if they say it’s medicinal’.

While in relative terms, this story was the most factually accurate, its framing still suggested police were being instructed to be lenient, rather than being given a new multi-stage verification protocol.

Just days later (January 09), the Daily Mail ran a 2000+ word story focused more broadly on the UK’s medical cannabis market, moving well beyond questionable framing into full misrepresentation.

The article, titled ‘Thousands of Britons prescribed super-strength CANNABIS for mental health conditions including anxiety and depression – with benefits claimants offered free consultations and discounts on their monthly weed prescription’, pointed to the ‘de facto legalisation of the drug’, and suggested police were now  being instructed ‘not to arrest users… if there are “justifiable grounds” for believing it could be for medical use.’

‘De facto legalisation’

Medical cannabis was legalised on 1 November 2018 under the Misuse of Drugs (Amendments) (Cannabis and Licence Fees) (England, Wales, and Scotland) Regulations 2018 with cross-party support, and operates within one of the most heavily regulated frameworks in the UK.

Cannabis-based products for medicinal use can only be prescribed by specialist consultants on the General Medical Council’s Specialist Register, GPs cannot prescribe them. All prescribing clinics must be registered with and regulated by the Care Quality Commission, using identical standards to NHS services.

Products must be approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, with import licenses granted by the Home Office. Prescriptions are recorded and tracked through the NHS Business Services Authority.

‘Police told not to arrest’

The guidance establishes verification protocols to distinguish lawful prescriptions from illegal possession. It explicitly states officers should take action if they have justifiable grounds to believe possession is not lawful.

“Justifiable grounds for believing it could be for medical use”

The guidance requires verification of actual lawful prescriptions through documentation, including packaging, dispensing labels, prescription letters, and contacting healthcare providers if needed. This is an evidence-based verification process, not discretionary enforcement.

Images of people smoking joints

The guidance explicitly states: “The smoking of medicinal cannabis is strictly prohibited by the legislation.” Smoking is illegal; vaping is the lawful inhalation method.

“Licensed products – which do not contain the whole plant”

Sativex, the most well-known licensed medical cannabis product, is whole-plant cannabis extract containing high levels of both THC and CBD in a 1:1 ratio.

‘Super-strength’ terminology throughout

As prescribing pharmacist Navinder Singh Dhesi noted on LinkedIn: “The term ‘strength’ is meaningless without pharmacological nuance. Cannabinoid medicines are prescribed with specific cannabinoid profiles, controlled dosing, and clear titration plans.” THC percentage alone doesn’t determine therapeutic effect.

Cherry-picked expert opinion (Sir Robin Murray warning of psychiatric risks)

No mention of the 50,000+ peer-reviewed studies on cannabis therapeutics or UK Medical Cannabis Registry research showing sustained mental health improvements over 24 months in prescribed patients.

As one concerned patient told us: “The article depicts cannabis patients who are ‘signed off work with anxiety and depression’ as being ‘handed out super-strength cannabis’ by clinics, feeding into the narrative that cannabis patients are ‘lazy-stoners’ living off benefits… This is a dangerous and cruel narrative that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

JP Doran, Chief Executive Officer of Crucial Innovations Corp (CINV) and a long-standing advocate for patient-centred medical cannabis regulation, told Business of Cannabis: “Much of the coverage around police interactions and medical cannabis still blurs the line between illegal use and legally prescribed treatment, which doesn’t reflect the reality for patients.

“Medical cannabis in the UK is a regulated, clinician-prescribed therapy used by people living with serious, diagnosed conditions, not a cultural or criminal issue. When this distinction is missed, it reinforces stigma and creates unnecessary stress for patients who are simply trying to manage their health lawfully and with dignity.”

On 10 January – the same day as the Daily Mail‘s front-page story, GB News published an almost identical piece titled ‘Benefits claimants handed discounts on ‘super-strength’ Cannabis for mental health conditions’ using the same data, the same ‘super-strength’ framing, and the same focus on benefits claimants.

The coordinated nature of this coverage was highlighted by Jack Bradburn, a medical cannabis patient who works 60+ hours weekly as a Gas Emergency Engineer.

He told his MP: “On 6th January 2026, the National Police Chiefs Council approved guidance instructing officers to treat medical cannabis patients as ‘patients first, suspects second’… Four days later, on 10th January, the Daily Mail ran a front-page headline describing legitimate prescriptions as a ‘shocking loophole,’ with coordinated coverage across other outlets using identical framing and data.”

The post Seven Years for Progress, Four Days to Undermine It: The UK’s Cannabis Media Storm  appeared first on Business of Cannabis.

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Caribbean cannabis growers eye budding domestic sales and exports

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The Cannabis Labyrinth in Spain: A ‘Timid’ Regulation for a Pain That Won’t Wait

Old Continent, early 2026. The headline lands like this: “The Department of Health clears cannabis for four medical conditions.” Back in 2025, Spain joined the list of more than 40 countries that had already brought cannabis into their healthcare systems. And if that was the “first big step,” then what we’re seeing now, right at this moment, are the second ones.

So what actually changed?

The Spanish Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS), the public body that regulates medicines and healthcare products, published a monograph detailing which cannabis-based treatments specialist physicians are now allowed to prescribe, and under what conditions.

“It’s news that’s been received with relief, and with a certain degree of respect,” says Jesús de Santiago, coordinator of the Cannabinoids Working Group at the Spanish Pain Society. “For years, we operated in a very ambiguous space. We knew there were patients who could benefit, but there was no clear framework to do things properly.” In practical terms, AEMPS brings order. It sets rules. It demands quality. “For the scientific community, that matters. It means working with standardized medicines, with controls and traceability. That’s the only way to generate reliable data and actually protect patients,” de Santiago adds.

Still, not everyone is convinced.

Some voices have described the new regulation as “very timid,” among them Manuel Guzmán, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Complutense University of Madrid and a member of the Royal National Academy of Pharmacy. By most accounts, he’s also one of the most authoritative voices on cannabis in Spain. “The regulation establishes fairly restrictive conditions for access to and use of these medications,” Guzmán says.

From the patient side, the response has been cautious. One such case is Carola Pérez, president of the Spanish Observatory of Medicinal Cannabis, who lives with neuropathic pain and manages her symptoms with cannabis. For years now, Pérez has been one of the most visible social voices on the issue in Spain. She’s heard by public opinion, the scientific community, social media, and, at times, by policymakers.

“We’re still very concerned about physician training,” Pérez says. “We see very little interest in learning from colleagues in other European countries. The Department of Health still hasn’t explained how a specialist can be certified or trained to prescribe cannabis to a patient.” And she adds: “On top of that, we feel the program falls short. It leaves a huge number of patients out.”

For now, cannabis will only be prescribed for four indications: chronic pain, spasticity related to multiple sclerosis, severe forms of epilepsy, and nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy.

Cristina Sánchez García, Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Complutense University of Madrid and a member of the university’s Institute for Neurochemical Research, shares that diagnosis. She also sees the framework as “poor and very limited.” “It’s an important first step,” she says, “but the design has serious shortcomings (family doctors are excluded from prescribing, product options are limited, and so are the conditions that qualify) that keep us trailing behind the rest of Europe.”

According to Araceli Manjón-Cabeza, Professor of Criminal Law at the Complutense University of Madrid, what should come next is fairly straightforward. “Dispensing needs to actually begin,” she says. “Doctors need to prescribe, and pharmacies need to be able to prepare and dispense formulations so they reach the patients who need them. We’ll have to wait a few months to see whether the system truly starts working.”

Even acknowledging the real progress that’s been made, everything suggests that the next logical step goes beyond simply expanding approved indications. It also means doing things right, on a formal level. “We need clear protocols, specific training for professionals, and above all, real-world data,” De Santiago says. “We need to know which patients it works for, which ones it doesn’t, and why. If we don’t measure outcomes, we risk creating unrealistic expectations and losing a tool that, when used properly, can genuinely help certain patients.”

“What can be improved? Everything,” Pérez fires back. As a patient, she wants the best possible scenario, and real access to her medicine. “There’s still a huge educational and training effort ahead. Someone has to take responsibility for that,” she says. “It feels like no one has taken the time to look at what’s actually working beyond our borders and bring those lessons into our own regulatory model,” Sánchez García insists.

Beyond all this, the system as approved remains restrictive. Sooner or later, it will need to be expanded in the interest of patients, by broadening the list of qualifying conditions. “We also need to see whether the legal challenge filed by pharmacists against the Royal Decree goes anywhere,” Manjón-Cabeza adds. “Limiting dispensing to hospital pharmacies while excluding community pharmacies is hard to justify, and it harms patients. Community pharmacies already dispense medications that are far more dangerous than a magistral cannabis formulation. This only makes sense if you start from a distorted view of cannabis itself.”

Patients aren’t asking for miracles, they yearn for clarity and support. They want to know which treatments are best, what they can realistically expect, what the risks are, and who will follow up on their care. They’re also calling for regulated access, and above all, an end to stigma, so they don’t have to rely on informal channels. “At the end of the day,” De Santiago says, “what patients are asking for is entirely reasonable: to be treated as patients, not as consumers.”

“There was one line that did a lot of damage,” Pérez firmly states. “When people started suggesting that patients would divert their medication to third parties. Or resell it. How does it make any sense to think a patient would risk their own medicine, especially when it’s so hard to get? At what point did we start seeing patients as ‘criminals,’ even before it even begins? How is it possible that there’s no trust in the patient?”

Until the state stops looking at patients with suspicion, cannabis will continue to be administered drop by drop. The community now waits to see what the third big step will be in a landscape that, despite undeniable progress, remains open.

<p>The post The Cannabis Labyrinth in Spain: A ‘Timid’ Regulation for a Pain That Won’t Wait first appeared on High Times.</p>

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50% off at Curaleaf Arizona

The post 50% off at Curaleaf Arizona appeared first on AZ Marijuana.

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Same Day Cannabis Delivery in Orange County: Fast, Legal & Dispensary-Free in Irvine

No Dispensaries in Irvine? No Problem. Here’s the truth: Irvine, California currently prohibits cannabis dispensaries from operating within city limits. So if you’ve been Googling “dispensary in Irvine” or “Irvine dispensary,” you won’t find a storefront legally operating in the city. But that doesn’t mean you’re out of options. Premier 1 Cannabis is a licensed

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Florida’s Green Dream: Recreational Cannabis Eyes 2026 Ballot

Florida is once again considering legalizing recreational marijuana, with proponents aiming for the November 2026 ballot after a previous attempt for 2024 faced Supreme Court rejection. This new initiative seeks to overcome past legal hurdles, potentially bringing significant economic and social changes to the Sunshine State. If successful, it could introduce a thriving adult-use cannabis market, reduce justice system burdens, and enhance personal freedoms for Floridians.

Remember all the buzz around Florida’s recreational cannabis ballot initiative for 2024? While that particular push didn’t quite make it over the finish line in the way many hoped, don’t pack away your “legalize it” signs just yet. It seems the Sunshine State is gearing up for another shot at adult-use cannabis, this time with a potential eye on the November 2026 ballot. Yes, you heard that right – recreational marijuana could be returning to Florida’s political arena, and frankly, it’s got us pretty excited.It’s like that familiar feeling of waiting for your favorite band to announce a new tour. You know it’s coming, but the exact date and venue are always a bit of a suspense. For cannabis advocates in Florida, the “venue” is the ballot box, and the “tour date” might just be 2026.

Déjà Vu All Over Again? The 2024 Attempt

Let’s quickly rewind to understand why this 2026 news is such a big deal. For the 2024 election cycle, a significant effort was made to get a recreational cannabis amendment on the ballot. Groups worked tirelessly to gather the necessary signatures, and they succeeded! However, the state Supreme Court ultimately ruled against the specific language of the proposed amendment, deeming it potentially misleading or not clear enough about its impact. It was a real gut punch for many, highlighting just how high the legal hurdles are in Florida when it comes to cannabis reform.It wasn’t a total loss, though. The sheer volume of support and signatures gathered showed there’s a massive appetite among Floridians for legal recreational marijuana. That public desire hasn’t gone anywhere; if anything, it’s only grown stronger.

Enter 2026: A New Hope for Florida Cannabis.

So, what’s different this time? While details are still emerging, the key takeaway is that proponents aren’t giving up. This new initiative aims to learn from the challenges of the 2024 attempt, carefully crafting an amendment that can withstand the intense scrutiny of the state Supreme Court. If the new language qualifies and passes legal review, we could see a powerful movement to get it onto the November 2026 ballot. Why 2026? Well, these things take time. Gathering hundreds of thousands of valid signatures across the state, navigating complex legal challenges, and building public awareness isn’t an overnight task. A 2026 timeline allows for more meticulous planning and a stronger, more resilient campaign. Think of it as refining the recipe after the first batch didn’t quite rise as expected – you tweak the ingredients, adjust the temperature, and try again, hoping for a perfect bake.

The Potential Impact of Legal Weed in the Sunshine State

If Florida does finally legalize adult-use cannabis, what could it mean for the state? The implications are huge, spanning economic, social, and even cultural shifts.* Economic Boom: We’re talking about a multi-billion dollar industry. Think new businesses, thousands of jobs from cultivation to retail, and significant tax revenue that could fund public services. States like Colorado and California have seen their coffers swell with cannabis taxes – why not Florida? Reduced Burden on the Justice System: Legalizing recreational marijuana means fewer arrests for minor cannabis offenses, allowing law enforcement to focus on more serious crimes. It also offers a chance to address past injustices related to cannabis prohibition. Tourism Appeal: Florida is already a global tourist magnet. Imagine adding regulated adult-use cannabis to the mix. It could draw even more visitors looking for a safe, legal, and enjoyable experience. Personal Freedom: For many Floridians, it’s about personal liberty and the right to responsibly consume a substance that’s widely accepted and used across the nation.Of course, the medical marijuana program in Florida is already robust and serves hundreds of thousands of patients. Legalizing recreational cannabis would expand access and normalize the plant even further, potentially reducing stigma for all users.

What’s Next? Keeping an Eye on the Ballot

While it’s exciting to imagine recreational marijuana in Florida by 2026, it’s crucial to remember that this is still a developing story with significant hurdles ahead. The process will involve extensive signature gathering and, crucially, another review by the Florida Supreme Court. This court approval is the make-or-break moment. So, stay tuned! If you’re a Floridian who believes in cannabis reform, keeping an eye on these developments and understanding the process will be key. This isn’t just about getting high; it’s about economic opportunity, personal freedom, and modernizing state policy. The green dream for Florida might just be closer than ever.

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Build a Personal Brand that Opens Doors in Cannabis

One of my favorite office-gear gifts is a small sign that sits on my desk. It simply says, “Shit. I forgot to create a personal brand.”

All joking aside, a personal brand is a must for anyone in business today, particularly for those of us in the cannabis space. Given our industry’s competitive nature, its breakneck evolution over the past decade, and the anticipation of what rescheduling could mean for all of us in the next one, we are all thinking about how we can appeal to a wider population of consumers and the bigger potential markets we can create.

Why do I need a personal brand?

In an industry still navigating the shift from legacy to legal, a personal brand acts as a bridge of trust for skeptical investors and new consumers alike.

Personal brands are nothing new. In business-talk circles, the idea has been around for more than forty years. At its core, establishing a personal brand means building your reputation and explaining your value. We’ve been doing that in our resumes for years.

What is new is intention and how you apply your personal brand to today’s hyper-connected social media age. And if you’re not intentionally putting your personal brand to use, someone is likely already doing it for you. So, take the reins yourself.

As I advise my firm’s clients, “Tell your own story — because if you don’t, someone else will.”

What is a personal brand?

A personal brand is the consistent, authentic reputation you build by clearly communicating your value and showing it through your actions and visibility. Your personal brand is rooted in who you are. At the risk of repeating an overused term, it’s who you authentically are.

You’ve seen people who are authentic. They break through the noise and grab attention. Think Gary Vaynerchuk, an entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker with 11.2 million Instagram followers. Or Carolyn Davis, known online as MississippiKween, who turned a viral breakfast pizza video into a cookbook and kitchen product empire with business collaborations and 2 million Tiktok followers. While their niches differ, their core success is identical: They’ve replaced corporate artifice with human connection. They are successful because they are comfortable in how they communicate their ideas. That is who they are. There is no artifice. No performance.

Certainly, those are extreme examples. And frankly, I’d love to have their audiences. But their success follows a key guiding principle: authenticity as brand.

The architecture of an authentic brand

How do you create your personal brand to make sure your business colleagues see the authentic you?

• Ask yourself “What do I do? What am I most happy doing? What do I want people to know about me? What value do I bring to the table?”
• Leverage your professional and life experiences and interests. How do you use these qualities? How do you bring value to the table? That gives you your story.
• Communicate. Determine how and where you will tell your story and share publicly the value you offer. 

We’re all on social media. But how well are you using your social media? Are you posting regularly to LinkedIn, Instagram, or TikTok? Are you bolstering your website with links back and forth to your social media pages?

And remember: Social media is about being social. So go out there and amplify your brand on social media. Share any publicity you receive. Use LinkedIn or Substack to share information about your awards, your accolades, your milestones. By consistently sharing these subtly, quietly, and strongly, you’ll position yourself as a thought leader.

It’s also important to make sure you engage with people in the real world, telling your story and sharing your value face-to-face. Yes, that means networking. That means attending and participating in conferences. That means “getting out there.”

To be sure, your personal brand will evolve over time as your personal goals develop and as the cannabis industry grows and changes. Being flexible and re-evaluating your brand should always be part of the plan.

Quick answers to personal branding questions

Kim Prince is founder and chief executive officer at Proven Media, a results-oriented agency serving business- and consumer-facing companies throughout North America. She brings more than twenty years of corporate marketing experience and leverages her background in corporate messaging strategies, public relations, and strategic planning to help position corporations, brands, and C-level executives for growth.

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