Police interactions
Medical cannabis and police stops in the UK
Police guidance changed in January 2026. The College of Policing added a medicinal-cannabis section to its Authorised Professional Practice. Patients should distinguish what the law requires from evidence that is simply useful for faster verification.
What changed in January 2026?
The College of Policing updated its official Authorised Professional Practice on 30 January 2026 to add a medicinal-cannabis section. That is now an important policing source for how officers and staff are expected to approach prescribed cannabis.
GreenGuruAI has not identified a statutory rule requiring a patient to carry either item whenever they possess prescribed cannabis in the UK. Keeping the medicine in original labelled packaging, current prescription information and matching ID can make lawful-prescription verification easier. International travel is different and can carry separate documentation requirements.
If the question is possession.
Explain that the product was prescribed and supplied as medicine. If you have it, show the pharmacy-labelled container and current prescription information. A membership or patient card is not a substitute for a valid prescription.
- Keep answers accurate and limited to what you know.
- Do not argue that a card creates a legal entitlement.
- Do not transfer prescribed medicine to another person.
- If an officer needs to verify the prescription, provide the clinic or dispensing-pharmacy details you have available.
If police use stop-and-search powers.
The legal power and procedure depend on the jurisdiction and circumstances. In England and Wales, official guidance says officers should explain key information including the legal power and grounds for the search and how to obtain a record. Do not physically resist a lawful search. Record the details afterwards if you later need advice or want to complain.
If the stop is about driving: raise prescribed use early.
Tell police early that the medicine is prescribed and, if true, that you have taken it in accordance with the prescribed directions. Department for Transport guidance says the statutory medical defence can be raised at any stage of the investigation. Show suitable evidence when asked so officers can assess the explanation.
This does not prevent a stop, roadside test, investigation or arrest in every case. It also does not provide a defence to the separate offence of driving while actually impaired by drugs.
If you are arrested or formally interviewed.
Ask for free independent legal advice at the police station. Do not treat a GreenGuruAI page as an interview script or guess about timing, impairment, blood levels or other facts you do not know.
Practical evidence to keep organised.
- Original pharmacy-labelled packaging.
- A current prescription copy or clinic medication record if readily available.
- Matching identification where practical.
- Clinic and dispensing-pharmacy contact details.
- A prescriber letter when supplied, especially where a separate process such as travel asks for documentation.
These items help verification; they do not guarantee a particular police decision and they do not create a separate right to drive.
Primary sources
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