Facts. Aisha, 45, has chronic pain and a private prescription for cannabis flower, which she vaporises. She is stopped and searched.
What the law says. Since 1 November 2018, cannabis-based products for medicinal use (CBPMs) have been lawful to possess with a prescription.[8] The APCDLO guidance (approved by the NPCC) tells officers to look at the original packaging and dispensing label, check any letter or prescription copy ("there is no legal requirement to possess these documents"), check ID, and if needed contact the prescriber or clinic. "Further police action should only follow if the officer has justifiable grounds for believing that the individual is NOT a patient", and people "should be assumed" to be patients "until proven otherwise". Limits: "The smoking of medicinal cannabis is strictly prohibited by the legislation" (vaping "is distinct from smoking"); a Cancard "does not mean they have a prescription"; and medicine outside its labelled container is harder to verify.[7][8][9][38]
Professional note. The PDF is headed "February 2025" and signed "November 2025".[7] Reports differ on whether the NPCC approved it in November 2024 or January 2026; it became public in January 2026.[7][9][38][39]
How it escalates. Valid prescription with matching ID and label: no action. No label and no way to check: seizure or further enquiries. Smoking it, or giving it to someone else: an offence (supply).