Home / Health / Medicinal Cannabis Prescriptions Surge 35% Annually
Medicinal Cannabis Prescriptions Surge 35% Annually
21 Aug
Summary
- Medicinal cannabis prescriptions increased by 35% last year.
- Nearly 20,000 more medicinal cannabis products were prescribed.
- Police find it harder to distinguish legal from illegal drug use.
The number of medicinal cannabis prescriptions has increased substantially, with doctors issuing nearly 20,000 more products last year compared to the previous year. This represents a 35% rise, with 72,065 prescriptions issued in 2025, up from 53,477 in 2024. General practitioners have had the authority to prescribe cannabis-based products since a legal change in 2019.
This growing availability of medicinal cannabis is presenting new challenges for law enforcement. Police authorities have indicated that distinguishing between legal medicinal use and illegal drug consumption has become more difficult. Concurrently, separate reports have shown an increase in licenses for cannabis export from the island, while import licenses have seen a decline.
