Cannabis statistics UK: key facts and figures 2025

Cannabis use statistics UK by age and gender

Patterns of cannabis use in the UK depend heavily on age:

• The Office for National Statistics report shows that 13.8% of people aged 16 to 24 had used cannabis in the past year, compared with just 7.2% of adults aged 25 to 59. That gap highlights how younger adults continue to drive prevalence, while older groups use cannabis less frequently.
• YouGov’s 2025 survey found younger adults were significantly more open to cannabis use and reform than older generations, with support tapering off sharply among the over-50s

Motivations for cannabis use in the UK

Why people turn to cannabis is as important as how many do.

• Releaf’s 2023 survey found that almost four in five people who had tried cannabis did so for recreational reasons.
• Close to one in five reported using cannabis to manage a health condition, and this number is expected to rise as awareness of medical access grows.
• YouGov’s 2025 survey shows attitudes shifting, with more than seven in ten people supporting doctors prescribing cannabis.
• Younger adults are the most open to medical motivations, while older age groups remain more sceptical.
• ONS lifestyle survey data reinforce the split: recreational use dominates, but health-related motivations are gaining traction.

Medical cannabis statistics and health impacts in the UK

Medical cannabis has moved from fringe debate to mainstream policy in less than 7 years, but the statistics still show a country catching up with itself. Prescriptions remain a fraction of what eligibility suggests. 

Releaf’s 2023 survey found that more than half of adults live with conditions that might qualify, yet awareness of access remains low.

That said, attitudes are changing quickly. 

YouGov’s 2025 survey found that more than 73% of people in Britain believe that doctors should be allowed to prescribe cannabis for medical purposes, reflecting a public far ahead of policy. 

A recent Releaf blog, titled “From our clinical team: Why we’re involved in medical cannabis”  mirrors these findings, showcasing the shift in attitude that many clinicians are experiencing. UK doctors are increasingly open to seeing (and offering) medical cannabis as a legitimate treatment pathway, provided it is prescribed safely and monitored carefully. 

Cannabis dependence in the UK

Cannabis dependence (sometimes also referred to as cannabis addiction) is a frequently discussed and surveyed stat, though the evidence suggests the risk is relatively low. The currently available NHS and ONS data indicate that around one in ten regular adult recreational cannabis users show signs of dependence, with slightly higher rates among those who began using before the age of 16. 

This figure is much lower than the rates seen with alcohol or tobacco dependence, reinforcing the case for regulated medical access with ongoing clinical oversight rather than direct prohibition.

Mental health and cannabis

Links between heavy, unregulated or clinically overseen recreational cannabis use and mental health remain a central focus of research. Emerging evidence suggests associations between heavy use and symptoms of anxiety, depression, or in some cases, psychosis. 

While the true link between cannabis use and mental health concerns remains debated, the risk is higher for those with pre-existing vulnerabilities. 

In the UK, anyone with a history of psychosis/schizophrenia or a close family connection is advised not to use cannabis recreationally, and they are excluded from receiving a medical cannabis prescription.

Cannabis legal status UK: what is the current situation?

The legal landscape for cannabis in Britain has shifted further than many would have expected even just a decade ago, but it is not recreationally legal in 2025, and that does not look like changing anytime soon. 

That said, medical cannabis became a fully legal treatment option in the UK in 2018, but the sector only really found it’s legs in early 2024

For a full rundown of the history of cannabis prohibition in the UK, check out Why is cannabis illegal in the UK?

The 2018 medical cannabis reform explained

The November 2018 reform followed years of campaigning, most notably cases involving children with severe epilepsy whose families pushed for access to cannabis-based medicines. That pressure led Parliament to reschedule cannabis under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations. From that point, specialist doctors on the GMC Specialist Register could legally prescribe it. 

The NHS, however, set the bar almost impossibly high for the almost ridiculously majority of UK patients. 

NHS prescribing barriers for medical cannabis

NHS access remains extremely restricted. Prescriptions are only offered for very rare cases, such as severe childhood epilepsy, chemotherapy-related nausea, or spasticity linked to multiple sclerosis. 

This is the main reason why most patients must turn to private clinics instead. 

Current laws state that only specialist doctors on the GMC Specialist Register can prescribe, not GPs.

Cannabis arrests UK: how does cannabis affect crime and policing costs?

Attitudes towards both recreational and medical cannabis use have been slowly shifting nation-wide over the past few decades, but that doesn't mean that the policing towards it has changed. Cannabis has long been, and still remains, the most common drug cited in arrests across England and Wales (in some localities police have signalled a lighter touch, focusing resources elsewhere, but the overall statistics remain quite negative). 

Possession and supply without a prescription remains a criminal offence with heavy consequences for those caught, shaping both policing priorities and justice system costs.

Cannabis seizures in the UK

If you want to see where Britain still spends its drug-war energy, look at the seizure stats. In the year to March 2024 there were more than 152,000 cannabis seizures, almost all of them herbal, and cannabis turned up in seven out of ten drug busts overall. That makes it the single biggest category by a mile.

Border Force in particular had a record year, pulling in 74 tonnes of herbal cannabis at ports and airports. That is by far the largest haul since records began half a century ago. Resin seizures spiked too, while plant seizures dipped a little.

So, even as public opinion shifts and a regulated medical market grows, the people smuggling cannabis and the machinery of enforcement keep grinding away. Cannabis is still the plant most hunted, most seized, and most dragged through the courts, which means it is also the most expensive in terms of state resources sunk into prohibition

Cannabis arrests and convictions UK

Home Office and ONS data show that cannabis possession leads drug offence statistics year after year. 

In 2021 there were more than 130,000 recorded possession incidents, the majority ending in cautions rather than prosecutions. Disparities are visible across ethnicity and geography: Black Britons are significantly more likely to be arrested for cannabis possession than White Britons, even though use rates are similar.

Cannabis economy UK: what does cannabis cost society?

Cannabis is anything but a purely cultural fixture in Britain – it is also a longstanding financial mainstay. The UK has been the largest medical cannabis exporter for several years, mostly thanks to the fact that one UK company dominates the global trade in cannabis-based pharmaceuticals.

Billions flow through the market each year, but the money is split between three competing directions: the cost of prohibition, the size of the illicit market, and the potential economic upside of reform. 

Public opinion polling shows a majority now favour some form of legal recreational regulation, adding political weight to the economic argument.

The Prohibition Partners’ 2025 white paper projects a licensed UK cannabis market could generate billions in taxable revenue, but for now most of that value remains underground.

Costs of cannabis enforcement and prohibition in the UK

Prohibition is expensive. 

The TaxPayers’ Alliance estimated (back in 2018) that full legalisation could save around £200 million in police budgets, with further savings in courts and prisons. The report noted that the overall annual cost of prohibition may be closer to £890 million once wider justice system expenditure is factored in. 

Prohibition Partners’ 2025 whitepaper agrees with these estimates, suggesting the cumulative costs of prohibition run higher once opportunity costs and lost tax revenues are factored in. 

These figures highlight the mismatch between resources spent on enforcement and the relatively low harms associated with cannabis compared with other drugs.

The UK illicit cannabis market

Despite medical access and growing calls for reform, the illicit cannabis market continues to thrive. 

• Prohibition Partners’ 2025 whitepaper and supporting survey data suggest that Britons spend billions annually on illicit cannabis, making it one of the largest shadow markets in Europe. 
• Releaf’s 2023 polling found that many patients who could qualify for prescriptions continue to source cannabis illegally, often citing cost or lack of awareness as barriers. 

Let's be honest, demand for recreational cannabis will never disappear. And as long as there is demand, there will always be illegal supply.

How do patients fit into UK cannabis statistics?

Patients sit at the heart of the UK’s cannabis story. Prescriptions remain a fraction of what eligibility suggests. The estimated UK medical cannabis patient statistics for 2024 sat at around 50,000 to 60,000 active patients, with forecasts pushing cannabis prescription numbers in the UK towards 80,000 by the end of 2025.

That growth marks amazing progress from the near-empty registry in 2018-2022, but it still leaves millions managing conditions without easy legal access. 

FAQs

How many people use cannabis in the UK?

The Office for National Statistics reported in 2024 that around 2.3 million adults aged 16 to 59 had used cannabis in the past year. That equates to 6.8% of the age group.

How many cannabis users are there in the UK?

Releaf’s 2023 survey found almost one in four adults had tried cannabis at some point.

Is cannabis legal in the UK?

Recreational cannabis is illegal in the UK. Medical cannabis was legalised in November 2018 and can be prescribed by specialist doctors for eligible conditions.

How common is cannabis in the UK?

Cannabis is the most widely used controlled substance in Britain, well ahead of other drugs. It consistently tops the Crime Survey for England and Wales each year.

How many people are in prison for cannabis in the UK?

Home Office data shows more than 1,300 people were serving prison sentences for cannabis-related offences in 2018. While the majority of possession cases today result in cautions, cultivation and supply still lead to custodial sentences.

What % of adults use cannabis in the UK?

In 2024, 6.8% of adults aged 16 to 59 reported past-year use. Among 16 to 24-year-olds, the figure was higher at 13.8%.

Cannabis statistics in the UK: what does the future look like?

Reform debates have been gathering pace for some time now. 

In recent years, calls for change have come not just from advocacy groups, but also from political parties and local leaders. The Liberal Democrats and Green Party have both spoken openly about reform, while discussions at the London level have focused on potential decriminalisation.

Parliament has remained very cautious, but voters are pushing the debate forward. This generational shift is slowly forcing cannabis, both recreational and medicinal, into the political conversation rather than leaving it languishing at the fringes.

Media and academic voices echo the same point. 

Coverage in mainstream has really changed in the last few years (that is not to say that it is all positive, or that the century of indentured stigma and demonisation has fully shifted), but outlets and new modelling studies have started to highlight the potential social and economic benefits of a regulated market, including significant savings in policing costs and increased tax revenue.

If you’re considering your own treatment options, you can check your eligibility today using Releaf’s medical cannabis eligibility checker. It’s free, quick, and gives you clarity on whether medical cannabis might be suitable for you.

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