Travel Tuesday: Planes, trains, and ferries - travelling across the UK with medical cannabis

Hello and welcome to our latest blog series: Travel Tuesdays! 

If you’re already a Releaf patient, you might have explored our travel resources in the Patient Platform, or read our educational articles covering medical cannabis laws across different continents. While these are a great starting point, this series is about taking things further. 

Every other week, we’ll be taking you on a trip to specific destinations, giving you practical, in-depth advice to help you plan your trip with confidence, travel safely, and ultimately, avoid any bumps in the road. 

But for our very first edition of Travel Tuesdays, we’re keeping things close to home: travelling within the UK with medical cannabis. 

Whether you’re heading to England, Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland by bus, coach, train, ferry, or plane - this guide covers what you need to know, before you have to go. 

General advice for travelling with medical cannabis

To start the series off in the right way, we thought we’d give a quick run down of the general travelling with medical cannabis advice we’ve already published. 

This includes: 

1. Check the legal status of medical cannabis in the country you plan on visiting and whether you need a personal licence to carry it across the border
2. Request permission from the relevant embassy for entering their country with medical cannabis (including any stop-overs) 
3. Request a travel certificate from Releaf
4. Travel with medication in its original packaging with prescription labels clearly displayed
5. Carry medication in your hand luggage along with a physical copy of your prescription and a travel certificate

Now, let’s dive into the details. 

Understanding the legalities: Medical cannabis in the UK

Medical cannabis has been legally available on prescription in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and in Scotland since 2018. 

This means that patients who have been prescribed medical cannabis flower, cannabis oil, cannabis vape cartages, or any other form of cannabis-based treatment, are legally permitted to carry their medication(s) on their person in the UK - and administer it in public, should they need to. 

However, there are some caveats:

In the UK, regardless of when travelling or not, cannabis-based treatments should always be kept in their prescription packaging, with the label that displays your name and dispensing details intact and legible to verify its legality. 

It is also important that you stick to prescribing guidelines. Medical cannabis flower cannot be smoked in the UK by law, and if it is - it’s prescription status is essentially invalidated. According to UK law, medical cannabis flower should only be administered using a vapouriser, and this instruction is written on Releaf prescriptions, and the dispensing labels on medical cannabis flower packaging. 

If you’d like to find out more about your rights when it comes to administering your medication, this blog will be able to help: ‘Can I use medical cannabis in public?’ 

But for now, let’s get back to travelling. 

Fail to prepare, prepare to fail: What to do before you go

Because this blog is dedicated to domestic travel, i.e. travelling to another country within the UK with medical cannabis, there’s no need to check the legality of your prescribed medication - or appeal to the Embassy for permission. 

This is because medical cannabis has been legal in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland for almost seven years now, and embassies are for sovereign nations, while the UK acts as a united sovereign state. 

When it comes to travel certificates, they can be easily requested through Releaf’s patient portal: we’ve got a handy step-by-step guide on how to do this available here.  These certificates essentially act as a signed doctor's note, explaining your travel plans and the medication(s) you need to travel with. 

While it’s not strictly necessary to have a travel certificate when travelling within the UK by bus, coach or train (more on this later) they are free of charge, and so there’s no harm in getting one for extra peace of mind if you’re nervous about making the trip with cannabis products on your person. 

But regardless of how you choose to travel, as we previously stated, prescribed cannabis-based products should always be carried in the packaging they were originally prescribed in, and, we’d recommend keeping them in your hand luggage for easy access, should you need to verify their legitimacy.  

Modes of transport: Best practice advice

While there’s no difference in the legality of travelling to Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, or England with medical cannabis from somewhere else in the UK - there is a difference in the guidance we’d give depending on how you chose travel. 

Buses, coaches, trams, and trains:

While there are no security checks when you travel domestically via bus, coach, tram or train in the UK, there could be spot checks throughout your journey, so it would be wise to carry a physical copy of your current prescription with you just in case. And as always, keep your medication in its prescribed container, and in your hand luggage where it won’t get lost or damaged. 

While vaping is not permitted on buses, coaches, and trains in general, some medical cannabis vaporisers are exempt from this rule as they are medical delivery devices, and not nicotine delivery devices. 

However, that being said, we wouldn’t recommend administering your medication while in an enclosed space like a train or tram carriage, or a bus or coach unless it is to avoid a serious medical incident like a seizure for the sake of common courtesy. 

If you are taking a long, direct journey using one of these transport methods and are concerned about symptom management while on route, we’d recommend speaking with your prescribing clinician to see if medical cannabis oil could be an option that could work for you, due to its long-lasting effects. 

To find out more about the ins and outs of medical cannabis on public transport, check out our dedicated blog. 

Air or Ferry travel:

When it comes to domestic flights or ferries within the UK, we would recommend getting a Releaf travel certificate for extra precaution. 

As your medication will be in your hand luggage, it’s likely to show up on X-ray scanners or in security checks - and having this at hand to verify its legitimacy as a prescribed product make for smooth sailing through security. 

Releaf’s digital travel certificates are produced within 48 hours of request, and physical copies can be sent within five working days to your home address. Much like when travelling by bus, coach, tram or train, we’d recommend also having a copy of your current prescription available, which can be instantly downloaded using the Patient Platform, and following the previously mentioned guidance for how to carry your medication throughout your journey. 

While both travel certificated and FP10 prescriptions are available digitally in your account area, we would recommend taking printouts. 

If you’d like to read first-hand accounts of Releaf patients who have travelled with medical cannabis (both within the UK and abroad) head over to our patient stories page. 

Time to pack your bags!

Whether you’re sailing the Irish Sea, hitting the tracks, or hopping on a quick flight across the border, travelling with medical cannabis within the UK doesn’t have to be a bumpy ride. 

With a copy of your prescription, your medication easily accessible and in the right packaging, and a travel certificate for security checks - you’re all set to enjoy your trip, be it for business or for pleasure. 

If you’re planning on travelling further afield, check out the resources available in the ‘personal’ section in the account area of the Patient Platform for further guidance, and keep your eye out for future Travel Tuesday editions!

And if you’re not yet part of the Releaf community, now’s the perfect time to climb aboard. Sign up today for patient-centred care supported by expert clinicians, personalised treatment plans, and all the resources you need to travel safely and confidently with medical cannabis.