In the United Kingdom, cannabis (along with its psychoactive chemical compounds, such as THC) is illegal for recreational use and is classified as a Class B drug. Doctors can prescribe cannabis since medical cannabis was legalised in 2018. People who possess less than 1 ounce (28 g) for personal use (and have no prescription) can be issued a nearly unique (only khat, containing cathinone, has a similar approach) cannabis warning, which does not go onto a permanent criminal record visible on a DBS check.
.svg) United Kingdom (dark green) | |
| Medicinal | Legal (since 2018) |
|---|---|
| Recreational | Illegal (Class B) |
| Hemp | Legal |
In 2004, the UK made cannabis a Class C drug with less severe penalties, but it was moved back to Class B in 2009. Medical use of cannabis, when prescribed by a registered specialist doctor, was legalised in November 2018.
Cannabis is widely used as an illegal drug in the UK, while other strains lower in THC have been used industrially for over a thousand years for fibre, oil and seeds. Cannabis has been restricted as a drug in the UK since 1928, though its usage as a recreational drug was limited until the 1960s, when increasing popularity led to its stricter 1971 classification.
Despite the fact that cannabis is still illegal in the UK, with limited availability for medical use, as of 2016[update] the UK was the world's largest exporter of legal cannabis.