Can you get medical cannabis for depression in the UK?

Depression is one of the conditions people most often ask about and one of the few where the honest answer involves a genuine risk of making things worse. There is no randomised trial supporting it, and there is a recognised mechanism for harm.

Is depression treated with medical cannabis in the UK?

Rarely, and not as a primary indication. No cannabis-based product is licensed for depression, NICE guidance on depression does not include it, and most UK specialists will not prescribe for depression on its own.

Where depression does feature, it is usually as a secondary consideration alongside a primary physical condition — most often chronic pain, where low mood is both common and closely tied to the pain itself. That is a different clinical question from treating a depressive illness.

This is one of the places where our answer differs from a good deal of clinic marketing. We think you are better served by knowing that up front.

What the evidence actually shows

The most thorough review of cannabinoids in mental health examined the trial evidence across depression, anxiety, ADHD, Tourette syndrome, PTSD and psychosis. For depression it found there was insufficient evidence from controlled trials to support use, and that the available studies were mostly of low quality.

Where depressive symptoms improved in those trials, it was generally in people being treated for another condition — chronic pain in particular — which is consistent with mood lifting because the primary problem improved rather than because of a direct antidepressant effect.

Observational registry data does report improvement in depression scores. It cannot separate a drug effect from regression to the mean, the effect of finally being taken seriously by a clinician, or the fact that people who feel worse stop answering questionnaires.

What a specialist will want to see

Because the evidence is weak and the risk is real, assessment here is more cautious than for most physical conditions, and a decline is a common outcome.

• Whether depression is the primary problem or accompanies a physical condition
• What talking therapies you have had access to, and what happened
• Which antidepressants you have tried, at what dose, and for how long
• Any history of bipolar disorder, psychosis or psychotic symptoms
• Current suicidal thoughts, self-harm, or recent crisis contact
• Alcohol and other substance use, which frequently travels with low mood

If you are having thoughts of harming yourself, this is not the right route and not the right timescale. Speak to your GP, call NHS 111, contact the Samaritans on 116 123, or in an emergency call 999.

The general requirements — age, a documented diagnosis, the convention that two standard treatments have been tried, and access to your medical records — are covered in What are the requirements?

Risks and reasons a specialist may say no

THC is not a reliably mood-lifting drug. It can increase anxiety, blunt motivation, and in some people lower mood — and regular use is associated with worse outcomes in depression rather than better ones.

The specific risk that closes the door is psychosis. A personal or family history of psychotic illness, or of bipolar disorder, will normally rule out treatment, and depression that has ever tipped into psychotic symptoms is assessed very cautiously indeed.

There is also an interaction question. Cannabis-based medicines can interact with sedatives and with some antidepressants, and adding a drowsiness-causing medicine to an existing one is a decision that needs a prescriber who can see your whole medicines list.

If you want to take this further

The useful next step is a proper assessment, not a longer reading list. Gather your diagnosis, the treatments you have already tried and what happened with each, and a current list of your medicines — that is what a specialist needs in order to give you a straight answer.

The consultation itself, and what happens after it, is set out in What is the process to get a medical cannabis prescription? If depression is not the only thing you are being treated for, say so early: other conditions and other medicines change the assessment.

Patient guide · Written by the Flora House editorial team · Last reviewed: 8 September 2026