NEW legal controls on medicinal cannabis prescribing are expected to come into force by the end of this year amid recognition of the “high and increasing” number of prescriptions being issued in Jersey.
The proposed rules – which are due to go out for consultation within the next month – could determine who is legally allowed to prescribe medicinal cannabis and require patients to have face-to-face consultations.
They are also expected to introduce requirements for keeping records of adverse effects experienced by patients, although Public Health Jersey stressed that the proposals could change following consultation.
A spokesperson said: “The proposed legal controls are being finalised for consultation with patients, prescribers and general practitioners within the next month.
“They currently address matters such as who may legally prescribe medicinal cannabis, requirements for in-person consultation and adverse effect record keeping, but they may change subject to consultation.
“It is envisaged they will be in force by the end of 2026.”
The update follows the publication of figures showing that 72,065 cannabis-based products for medicinal use were dispensed in Jersey during 2025.
That was up from 53,477 in 2024 – an increase of almost 18,600, or around 35%, in the space of a year.
And the number of products dispensed has more than tripled since 2022, when the total stood at 23,639.
Earlier this year, Health Minister Tom Binet confirmed that officers were “actively developing proposed legal controls on prescribing practice” amid concerns about the rapidly rising figures.
At the time, he acknowledged that “unlike some other jurisdictions, Jersey does not currently have in place legal controls on cannabis-based products for medicinal use prescribing practice or an independent inspection regime”.
He stressed, however, that medicinal cannabis was “not unregulated”, with prescriptions issued “only by registered healthcare professionals” who were professionally and legally accountable for their clinical decisions.
The latest update indicates that the work has now progressed to the point where detailed proposals are almost ready to be put before patients and medical professionals.
Public Health acknowledged the scale and continued growth of medicinal cannabis prescribing in the Island, while stressing that appropriate safeguards were necessary regardless of how many prescriptions were being issued.
The spokesperson said: “The high, and increasing, levels of prescribing in Jersey are recognised, as is the requirement for appropriate and effective controls irrespective of prescribing levels.”
