How much does medical cannabis cost in the UK?

Medical cannabis in the UK is legal but almost always private, so cost is the question new patients ask first. There isn't a single price list — clinics compete on consultation fees, pharmacies compete on per-gram prices, and dose varies hugely. This guide breaks the total into its parts so you can build a realistic monthly budget before you commit.

The four cost buckets

Whatever clinic you use, your total is built from four things:

1. Initial consultation with a specialist consultant
2. Follow-up consultations (usually every 1–3 months at first, then quarterly)
3. The medicine itself — flower per gram, or oil per bottle
4. Pharmacy dispensing and delivery fees

Typical UK prices in 2026

Three realistic monthly budgets

Every patient is different, but the following scenarios cover most of the range we hear from readers.

Low-dose oil patient

A patient on a single 10ml full-spectrum oil per month, one quarterly consult: roughly £130–£180/month, or £1,600–£2,200/year. This is the cheapest realistic private route.

Moderate flower patient

10g of flower per month, one quarterly consult, one dispensing/delivery fee: £90–£120/month in medicine plus consult amortised at ~£20/month = £110–£140/month total, or £1,320–£1,680/year.

Higher-dose mixed patient

30g of flower plus one oil bottle per month, monthly consults at first: £360–£500/month, or £4,300–£6,000/year.

Where patients underestimate

Three costs consistently surprise new patients:

• Split scripts. If your consultant prescribes two cultivars or two products, some pharmacies charge two dispensing fees.
• Reissues. If your original script has an error or you miss a dispensing window, a reissue can cost £15–£30.
• Vaporiser. A medical-grade dry-herb vaporiser is £150–£350 up front. Some clinics include one; most don't.

How the cost compares to the alternatives

The obvious comparator isn't the NHS (which almost never prescribes CBPMs outside three licensed products); it's the cost of the condition being treated. A £150/month CBPM budget can look expensive next to a £9.90 NHS prescription, but often replaces private physio, private pain-clinic fees, or off-label prescriptions with their own cost. Frame it against your current spend, not against the NHS ideal.

Cost and your other rights

Cost is only one part of the picture. Once you're on a prescription, the material questions become insurance, driving and work. See does UK insurance cover medical cannabis, the driving law overview and telling your employer.