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Medecan Launches UK Medical Cannabis Clinic Focused on Safe, Regulated Patient Care
07/05/2025 • by The RAM Institute
A new UK-based medical cannabis clinic has launched with the aim of improving access to regulated cannabis-based medicines for patients who have exhausted conventional treatment options.
Medecan, a CQC-registered clinic founded by NHS GP Dr David Eccleston alongside a multidisciplinary leadership team, says it has been established to address ongoing gaps in awareness and access to medical cannabis, despite the treatment being legal on specialist prescription in the UK since 2018.
The clinic will offer virtual consultations and specialist assessment for patients with a range of conditions, including chronic pain, cancer, inflammatory and neurological disorders, gastrointestinal disease, women’s health conditions, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and sleep disorders. Prescriptions are issued following specialist consultation and multidisciplinary team (MDT) review, with medicines dispensed through licensed pharmacies.
According to Medecan, awareness of legal medical cannabis remains limited. The clinic cites recent data suggesting that approximately 1.8 million people in the UK may already use illicit cannabis to manage medical conditions, while only a small proportion currently access treatment through legal prescription pathways. It also notes survey findings indicating that around a quarter of UK adults remain unaware that medical cannabis can be prescribed legally.
Dr David Eccleston, Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer, said his own understanding of medical cannabis evolved as evidence supporting its clinical use has emerged.
“Like many clinicians, my early experience of cannabis was shaped by only seeing the harms of high-THC recreational use. It was only after seeing the science, regulation and patient outcomes associated with medical cannabis that my perspective completely changed. This is not about ‘getting high’ – it’s about carefully balanced, reproducible medicine that can transform quality of life.”
Medecan states that it operates within existing UK regulatory frameworks, sourcing products through MHRA-regulated supply chains and prescribing only after comprehensive clinical assessment.
The clinic’s consultations are delivered remotely, with medicines supplied in pharmaceutical formulations including oils, sublingual sprays, oral drops and chewable preparations rather than smoked products.
Laura Eccleston, Co-Founder and Chief Resources Officer, said patient trust would be central to the clinic’s approach.
“Transparency, ethics and patient trust are non-negotiable for us. We want Medecan to feel more like a trusted healthcare partner than a clinic. Demystifying medical cannabis is just as important as prescribing it.”
The clinic also emphasises a whole-patient approach, recognising that many chronic conditions coexist with symptoms such as disturbed sleep, chronic pain, anxiety and reduced quality of life.
Medical cannabis acts through the body’s endocannabinoid system, which plays a role in pain modulation, inflammation, mood and sleep regulation, providing a biological rationale for its use across multiple symptom domains in appropriately selected patients.
Dr Eccleston said, “We see patients who’ve tried opioids, antidepressants and sleeping tablets, often with limited benefit or intolerable side effects. Medical cannabis offers something different – personalised, non-addictive and often better tolerated when prescribed correctly.”
Alongside patient care, Medecan says it aims to contribute to professional education by expanding clinician training in the evidence base surrounding medical cannabis prescribing. The organisation plans to grow its network of specialist clinicians while maintaining an emphasis on governance, ongoing monitoring and evidence-led practice.
You can watch Dr Eccleston discussing the use of medical cannabis here.
