End Our Pain Statement – Cannabis-Based Medicines and Patient Safety
Lara Smith, a former paediatric nurse and now our adult ambassador, has been researching dronabinol since 2014, when she was first prescribed cannabis flower as “Dronabinol” by her UK specialist.
When I took over End Our Pain in 2022, Lara shared her research with me so we could focus the campaign on the safe prescribing of cannabis-based medicinal products (CBPM’s). Since then, we’ve worked together to gather evidence and present it to the relevant authorities.
Since the 2018 law change, Lara, like many others, has been prescribed cannabis as “THC”, not under its international non-proprietary name (INN) dronabinol. However, when adults or children prescribed CBMPs present to NHS hospitals, the drug interaction risks for “THC” or “CBD” are not easily found in the BNF, as they are listed only under their INNs.
This poses a serious patient safety risk. According to the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Medical Cannabis, over 75,000 patients are now prescribed CBMPs privately in the UK. In emergency or hospital care, especially when patients are also using CNS-active medications like benzodiazepines, anticonvulsants, or rescue sedatives, BNF search issues could lead to dangerous oversights in interaction checking.
Most significantly, the BNF editorial team have now confirmed in writing that:
Delta-9-THC is a synonym for dronabinol, and they are exploring improvements to make this clearer in the BNF.
In a separate response to us in September 2025, the MHRA stated:
“We have nothing against the name ‘dronabinol’ being used on prescriptions.”
“Prescribing policy falls outside MHRA’s remit and should be addressed by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).”
Although the BNF have stated:
They do not currently indicate that delta-9-THC is an alternative name for dronabinol, but they have identified some potential improvements.
This is good news for patients and clinicians, as it signals a willingness to improve search functionality and make it easier for healthcare professionals to find the right information quickly and safely.
We will now be writing to the APPG on Medical Cannabis, our supportive parliamentarians, and will be formally presenting this issue to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), and NICE.
The goal is simple: to ensure UK prescribing systems accurately reflect the medications people are using, by both their commonly used names and their INNs, to prevent avoidable harm.
🟢 Take Action Now
We’ve updated our MP Letter tool with a new template you can send to your local MP, asking them to write to the DHSC and push for this vital safety update. It takes just a few clicks but could protect thousands.
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We’re also calling for an urgent government reimbursement scheme for families of children accessing prescribed medical cannabis.
Please add your name and share our petition to help us fight for fair access and funding.
