Experts, insights, and experiences: Medical cannabis and mental health

Mental Health Awareness Week 2026

This year’s theme - “Action: for yourself, for someone else, for all of us” - centres on the importance of moving beyond awareness and conversation, and taking meaningful steps to improve mental well-being. It encourages people to consider the actions that can lead to real change, including understanding all the support and treatment options available to them, especially when conventional approaches have not been fully effective.

Medical cannabis treatment for mental health conditions has been a fully legal treatment option since November 2018 here in the UK. While awareness has grown in recent years, much of the UK public is still unclear about how it works, who it may be suitable for, and how it can be accessed safely.

Mental health in the UK

In the UK, the most commonly diagnosed mental health conditions are classed as anxiety or depressive disorders, and it is now estimated that 1 in 5 adults in England experience a common mental health condition, up from 1 in 6 in 2014.

Between 2024 and 2025, the NHS prescribed 92.6 million antidepressant items in England alone, a record high. At the same time, spending on mental health services is forecast to reach £15.7 billion in 2025/26, accounting for a significant share of overall NHS funding

What do real UK medical cannabis patients report?

In late 2025, we commissioned the largest survey of active UK medical cannabis patients ever conducted. The survey received responses from 1,669 patients, with 31% reporting that they were being prescribed medical cannabis for a mental health condition

When might medical cannabis be considered for mental health?

Medical cannabis can be legally prescribed by specialist doctors in the UK and may be considered as part of a broader treatment plan for some people living with mental health conditions, particularly where conventional approaches have not provided sufficient relief.

It is considered a ‘second-line treatment option,’ meaning it can only be legally prescribed to patients who have already tried at least two conventional treatments, such as therapy or pharmacuetical medications, without experiencing meaningful improvement.

In practice, this can include people living with conditions such as anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder, and eating disorders, although suitability is always assessed on an individual basis. 

The relationship between medical cannabis and mental health

The link between medical cannabis and mental health isn’t theoretical anymore. It’s being studied, prescribed, and reported on by patients across the UK, and is now firmly part of the same conversation, both in research and in real-world patient care.

Cannabis contains compounds like THC and CBD that interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system. This system plays a role in mood, stress, and sleep. In simple terms, it helps regulate how you feel and respond to what’s going on around you.

That interaction is why some patients report improvements in symptoms like anxiety, low mood, and disrupted sleep when prescribed medical cannabis.

That said, the science is still catching up. A 2026 review in Lancet Psychiatry found promising signals, but also made it clear that more high-quality research is needed across different mental health conditions.

How might medical cannabis support mental health symptoms?

• Stress and anxiety - Some evidence suggests cannabinoids may influence stress responses and serotonin pathways. A 2025 review of 57 studies found 69% of low-bias studies reported improvements in anxiety symptoms, alongside consistent positive signals in real-world patient data 

• Low mood - Observational data from UK medical cannabis studies has shown reductions in depression severity scores over time, with some patients reporting improved mood and day-to-day functioning.

• Sleep - Sleep is one of the most commonly reported areas of improvement. Clinical trials have shown improvements in sleep quality, and patient-reported outcomes consistently highlight better rest as a key benefit.

At Releaf, treatment plans are developed by our world-class clinical team  of over 50 specialists and supported by more than 50 UK-based patient support staff. To learn more about the full list of mental health conditions that UK medical cannabis can be prescribed for, and how it works, head to our medical cannabis treatment for mental health conditions condition page. 

How is patient safety monitored in medical cannabis treatment plans? 

Because of the psychoactive effects associated with cannabis, it is essential that medical cannabis treatment plans for any condition are overseen and monitored by a qualified, and experienced, healthcare professional. 

While medical cannabis can have remarkable results for many patients with mental health conditions, regular check-ins are required to ensure that each patient’s progress, and experience with their new treatment plan, remains positive. 

Our expert Psychiatrist, Dr Imran Ali, explains: 

"Many patients have reported that medical cannabis may provide excellent mood uplifting effects, while at the same time reducing the crippling effects of anxiety.

When prescribed in a controlled manner in a clinical setting such as here at Releaf, patients have a clinical touchpoint with a Consultant so that, should their mental health change whilst in receipt of a prescription, their condition may be expertly managed without undue delay."

Adjustments to concentrations, dosing routines, administration methods can be made during these follow-up appointments should you experience any unwanted side effects, or adverse reactions, but generally speaking, cannabis-based medicines are well tolerated.

Sharing perspectives: Insights from Graham Woodward

To get more insight, we also spoke to Graham Woodward, our Chief Medical Officer and a registered psychiatric nurse, about the experiences he’s shared with patients who have depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, over the years. 

Graham said: 

“Typically, when I speak to a person who has a mental health condition, they’ve cycled through a number of licensed SSRIs, or have been back and forth to their doctor to have their dosages altered, and polypharmacy is common.

When they first start a course of SSRIs it usually takes about a month to settle into the system, and people often report either feeling quite hyper, or feeling low and numb during this time. This can be really challenging to deal with - especially considering the motivation for taking these medications, and a lot of patients struggle with conventional SSRIs for this reason.

But, I’ve seen people who suffer with anxiety, depression, PTSD or C-PTSD whose lives have literally changed when they’ve started medical cannabis treatment. 

I've seen their lives turn around within a week, they feel calmer, they’re more outgoing, their sleeping and eating often improves, and the world doesn’t feel as ‘against’ them any more. There is so much global, real-world evidence that cannabis works as a medication for these conditions. 

Some examples that spring to mind include two patients who both had severe social anxiety. Both lived on opposite ends of the country, they were different genders and they had different lifestyles, but, neither of them ever left the house. They were both only 18 years old, and they wanted to be out and about, but their crippling anxiety just wouldn’t let them.

We started them both on a course of medical cannabis treatment. One of these patients, who had never left their house, or gone to school, started driving lessons. The other, began working for the census, and was knocking on people’s doors on a daily basis, speaking to strangers.

After 27 years of working in psychiatry, I’ve never seen anything like it, and I’m honestly still amazed at how effective medical cannabis can be, especially for the conditions we’ve just discussed.”

Sharing perspectives: Daisy’s story with medical cannabis

We also spoke to Daisy, a 47-year-old Chief Social Worker and medical health and addiction specialist, about her first-hand experiences of using prescribed medical cannabis to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. 

Daisy told us: 

“My trauma history is multi-generational, and it means I have to live a double life for all intents and purposes - on the one hand I’m a professional, but on the other I’m also somebody who has got lived experience, and walking that line is really, really difficult. I have been prescribed all sorts of stuff over the years, and it usually knocks you out or makes you not feel anything, but medical cannabis allows me to walk that line.

Before trying cannabis, I was very anxious. I had a series of panic attacks every day and was very depressed. I would get motion sickness simply by getting out of bed in the morning because of the balance disorder [I also have], and I would be vomiting several times a day. It was miserable. Over the years, I’ve tried lots of medications and nothing really touched me. Medical cannabis does.”

We also asked Daisy if there were any challenges she’d faced along her journey of using medical cannabis. 

She said: 

“Certainly from wider society - without a doubt, the stigma is massive. When my work colleagues tried to report me, I got asked by someone who had known me for 10 years if I'd been intoxicated at work - that’s the automatic response. 

For some people, medical cannabis makes all the difference - it means that you can function and actually just focus on your wellness and health, rather than the politics and social justice issues often associated with it…..

Cannabis users can actually be productive members of society. I've got a 30-year career. I've published nine textbooks. I run my own business and have done so for nearly 15 years. I was an NHS executive director, the Mental Capacity Lead for the College of Social Work - and I am a medical cannabis user. And those two things work together. If anybody doubts that, just look at me.

Taking action this Mental Health Awareness Week 

Taking the first steps is often the hardest, especially if you are struggling with your mental health or feel that previous treatments have not worked in the way you had hoped.

This year's Mental Health Awareness Week theme, “Action: for yourself, for someone else, for all of us,” is a timely reminder that meaningful change often starts with small, informed decisions. That might mean reaching out for support, learning more about your options, or considering treatments you may not have explored before.

If you’re wondering what your next step could look like, having access to clear, accurate information is key. You can start by heading straight to our medical cannabis eligibility checker - it’s free and takes less than 20 seconds to complete. 

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