Why Is Medical Cannabis an Increasing Part of the Women’s Wellness Conversation?

As people all over the world become more interested in personal health, supplementation and alternatives to pharmaceuticals, awareness of common women’s health issues has also grown immensely. Problems like chronic pain, hormonal issues and sleep problems can all be be treated in a variety of ways – but medical cannabis is one increasing numbers of British women are turning to. So what’s happening here?

Well, medical cannabis – with a prescription – has been legal in the UK since 2018. That’s one big aspect to the story, although it took a long time for the market to grow significantly. A more recent shift in cultural attitudes among the British public and healthcare providers towards cannabis is another. As is widening awareness of the downsides to opioid-based pharmaceuticals, to which science is increasingly showing medical cannabis can be a viable alternative.

Medical Cannabis is a Fast Growing Market in the UK

The total weight of legal medical cannabis flower prescribed in the UK has gone up more than 200% over the past two years. While exact data is not clear, there is estimated to be some 75,000 to 80,000 registered patients in the country going into 2026.

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The vast majority of these prescriptions (99%-plus) occur through private clinics. While legally allowed to change it’s own rules on prescribing cannabis, NHS medicines regulator the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has opposed doing so in all but the rarest cases of childhood epilepsy. That makes medical cannabis a growing private business sector in the UK.

The CBD (cannabidiol) market is also growing. This legal chemical derived from the cannabis plant has exploded in popularity for a variety of reasons in recent years and is now available in all sorts of forms across British high streets.

Influential Women are Advocating for Expanded Medical Cannabis Internationally

The medicinal properties of cannabis are more widely studied and accepted than ever in most of the world, and women’s health issues are no exception. Women are more likely to suffer from chronic pain causing conditions, and medical cannabis can be an alternative to long-term NSAIDs or opioids for these people.

To expand international awareness on this topic, there are influential women who have worked hard for years to change the view on medical cannabis and what it can do for women. Businesspeople like Amy Margolis, Jane West and celebrities like Whoopi Goldberg have launched legal medical cannabis companies in the US in recent years, aiming to widen access to what many people find is life changing medicine.

These women have helped create huge brands that bring the medical effects of CBD and Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to millions of people across the US, as well as legal countries in Europe and around the world.

Of course celebrity brands might promise the best CBD on the market, but how do you know if that’s true? Well, a comprehensive review database that has opinions from both experts and patients is a good place to start.

A Holistic Approach to Health and Chronic Pain is More than a Trend

No serious industry people call medical cannabis a panacea, or a cure all. There are side effects, as with most medicines, and the psychoactive effects are obviously not for everyone. However, for most people with legitimate medical conditions who weren’t satisfied with results or side effects of current pharmaceuticals, the evidence is piling up for medical cannabis’ efficacy in treating chronic pain.

A recent large survey of UK patients – one of the largest so far conducted – found that 97% of nearly 2000 patients reported an improved quality of life after starting medical cannabis treatment.

NHS doctors also agree. Many polls have shown that more than 50% of GPs would prescribe cannabis or derived medications for long term chronic pain. For pain caused by women’s issues like endometriosis or PMS, that rises to 70% or more in most surveys.

That all follows many large scale studies in the US which have concluded that medical cannabis is a less harmful alternative to long-term opioid treatment in many cases.

Which is not to say that cannabis is as blunt-force effective as something like morphine for pain relief in most cases. However, it has a more of a holistic effect on increasing patients’ quality of life.

The effects of cannabis on mental health such as depression and anxiety are less understood by science than its efficacy as a painkiller. But the patient-reported improvements in these areas often linked with chronic pain are often literally life-changing.

Many women of working age in the UK are currently unable to work due to chronic pain and related issues. Which is not to mention the unpaid work not in the community not being done by retired people who have similar conditions. If medical cannabis access can be increased the government could add billions back to the economy – and help lots of people while they’re at it.