Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of how many people are self-medicating with recreational cannabis for the treatment of chronic illnesses; and if he will make a statement.

No estimate has been made. Licensed cannabis-based medicines are routinely available and funded on the National Health Service. However, for unlicensed cannabis-based medicines, clinical guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence demonstrate a clear need for more evidence to support routine prescribing and funding decisions.

We continue to call on manufacturers to conduct research and we are working with regulatory, research and NHS partners to establish clinical trials to test the safety and efficacy of these products.