Cannabis clinics have seen a spike in ADHD patients accessing their services amid a national medication shortage, a BBC North West investigation has found. One medical cannabis clinic said they had seen a 86% increase in ADHD patients nationally over the last year.
In the North West the number of patients being treated with cannabis at one clinic rose by half in 2023. Research director Dr Simon Erridge said it was "natural for people to explore other options" amid the shortage.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) told the BBC while there were no cannabis-based medicines licensed for the treatment of ADHD on the NHS, specialist clinicians "can prescribe cannabis-based products where clinically appropriate and in the best interests of patients".
Before 2018, almost all cannabis-based medicinal products were classed as Schedule One drugs which meant they were judged to have no therapeutic value.
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