FIGURES have revealed how many prescriptions of medical cannabis GPs in Bradford and Craven gave out in the last five years.

Medicines made from cannabis plants or synthetic cannabis can be used to treat a range of conditions – such as multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and chronic pain.

The most widely-prescribed drug made from cannabis is a combination of dronabil and cannabinol (CBD), which is used to treat MS and is commonly referred to by its brand name Sativex.

Figures from the NHS OpenPrescribing service show 35 prescriptions were out by GPs for this in the former NHS Bradford District And Craven Clinical Commissioning Group area over the past five years.

It was prescribed once by GPs in 2022 – down from four times in 2021. 270 individual doses of the drug were prescribed last year – fewer than 1,080 the year before.

This data shows the number of prescriptions given by GPs, rather than patients – a single patient may have been prescribed a drug multiple times over the same year.

These drugs are only used to treat certain types of MS and contain the active ingredients Tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol found in cannabis plants.

While rarely prescribed, CBD is widely available on UK high streets – albeit in varying strength and quality.

Meanwhile, substances containing THC remain illegal outside of specific medical uses.

Across the country, there were just 23 GP prescriptions for cannabidiol (CBD) based medications in 2022, which are generally used for treatment-resistant epilepsy – none of which were in Bradford and Craven.

Nabilone – a drug which contains synthetic cannabinoids and is used to alleviate the side effects of chemotherapy – was prescribed 371 times by GPs across England last year.

Of these, 14 were for patients in Bradford and Craven, with 63 prescriptions given over five years.

On January 31, the NHS was able to prescribe cannabidiol to patients with a rare, seizure-causing genetic disorder in England after the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence issued final guidance recommending its use.

Around 1,000 patients could benefit from the treatment, with clinical trials showing that when used alongside standard patient care, cannabidiol reduces the frequency of seizures by almost a third.

As a result of fewer, less severe and more predictable seizures, patients and families feel more confident when leaving the house.