The UK’s legal medical cannabis market is growing faster than ever in recent years. Patient demand is high, with some 80,000 Brits currently prescribed medical cannabis. And that number is growing every day. The sector is worth some £250 million as of 2025, and predictions are it could be worth £1 billion plus by 2030. This growth is obviously attractive to entrepreneurs – but what is the market actually like to get into?
Well, to be frank, medical cannabis is not a trend or a way to get rich quick. But it is what many will see as a worthwhile business to be in, that brings comfort and relief to tens of thousands of people suffering with chronic health conditions, with the potential for considerable further growth and innovation. This is what you need to know about the current startup environment in the UK’s medical cannabis space.
How to Start a Medical Cannabis Business in the UK in 2026?
Clinics and Suppliers are Growing but Face High Startup Costs
Beyond the headline numbers, medical cannabis is not quite the potential “green rush” some might think it is. Although there is value in the sector, entrepreneurs looking to make a quick and easily scalable business with high margins would do better looking elsewhere.
Business people getting into the UK medical cannabis space should be doing so because they’re passionate about expanding access to this medicine. Whether that’s cannabis for pain – the most commonly prescribed for condition in the UK – or a more niche area of treatment, clinics and suppliers are first and foremost a healthcare provider with patients at the core.
Opening a clinic or becoming a licensed medical cannabis supplier is not easy. It requires millions in upfront investment contracts and can take a year to even get off the ground. Clinics have to be Care Quality Commission licensed, and employ a team of licensed General Medical Council specialists for patient consultations and follow up care. Distribution and sourcing product can also be complicated by extensive security requirements and regulation for importers.
Meanwhile growers have to adhere to pharmaceutical-grade standards in production and storage, as well as tight regulation on security and vetting of employees. Home Office Licensing is also an issue that can take years to go through, although things have gotten easier with the first few farms supplying direct to UK medical patients opening in 2025.
So, those are the challenges. But, for people looking to get in early on a growing sector that makes a provable difference to people’s lives and has solid potential in the long run – the UK’s medical cannabis sector has a lot to offer.
Legal CBD and Auxiliary Services are Easier Places to Start
If large amounts of time and heavy investment is something you don’t have, but the medical cannabis sector is still of interest, there are adjacent industries that can slipstream in any possible growth.
For example, with dozens of clinics available right now prospective patients might well have questions like “is Alternaleaf good?” Delivering expert analysis or patient reviews of clinics and medical and commercial products, fills a much needed role in the market and makes a useful resource for anyone interested in the sector.
Experts in the field who don’t have the investment to start their own clinic or supplier, could consider consultancy work for others who are starting their own businesses. Education, training and media in the medical cannabis space are also important, and a variety of businesses can fit in the niche. It is also one that will grow naturally as the sector does, with more people seeking to learn about the sector.
Another adjacent business possibility is in legal cannabinoid CBD or cannabidiol. If all the complications of setting up a medical business are off-putting, non-psychoactive and fully legal (as isolate) CBD is regulated as a food and supplement – not as a medicine. The commercial CBD market is huge – somewhere around half again as large as the prescription medical cannabis market at more than £700 million in 2024.
However, as the barrier to entry is lower the competition is much more intense. It will also still require importing products – or possibly drop shipping if that is a model that interests you.
What Kind of Person Can Succeed in the Sector?
To be a successful startup entrepreneur in the UK cannabis space, a real desire to expand access to the medicine and help patients is highly important. Setting up requires patience, careful planning for risk management and a detail-oriented approach to adhering to all regulations and guidelines.
This is not a business – yet – for people who are looking to disrupt and move fast. Things may be different in countries with recreational markets. But, in the UK today, the laws are as they are to protect patients and ensure the best clinical healthcare outcomes for what is a recently-legalised medicine.
An aspiring medical cannabis entrepreneur should have at least some background in either research, healthcare or pharmaceuticals, or regulation, law and policy. Understanding the latest science, from meta analyses of patient-reported data to randomised clinical control trial results, and being able to communicate that information effectively is incredibly important.
Often regulators, policy makers, the media and institutions can be sceptical of medical cannabis. So, having a deep knowledge of the cutting-edge data in the field and what it means (and doesn’t) while, at the same time, being able to explain it to someone with less experience is vital.
