You are not required to carry any specific identification as a medical cannabis patient in the UK, Isle of Man, Jersey or Guernsey.

If requested, furnishing the dispensing label attached to your medication packaging should suffice as proof of your lawful possession of a controlled substance, however a paper/digital copy of your prescription can also be provided (DHSC Confirmation.)

We recommend keeping an electronic copy of your prescription on your device in case of any queries by law enforcement, however prescription copies cannot be requested outright due to containing private medical information.

Under The Equality Act (2008) it is unlawful for most private companies (including police and the local council) to request private medical information from patients. Patients may choose to freely provide a copy of their prescription but are not whatsoever compelled to under current UK law, to the best of MedBud's understanding of current legislation. You may not be discriminated against, or treated differently for your need to consume medical cannabis nor any other medication, and reasonable adjustments must be made for you to administer your medication as directed at any time, and on any premises.

Police officers should only consider the following as evidence of lawful possession, and will otherwise need to validate patient identity:

• Copy of a prescription by any clinic listed.
• Prescription medication packaging including a label from any pharmacy listed, signed, and in the patient's name.

If you have not received a digital copy of your prescription from your clinic be sure to request one. While some pharmacies provide prescription copies either on an online portal, or as part of the physical medication package - not all do.

Clinics and pharmacies are unable to share your medical information with the police without explicit permission given, outside of more extreme circumstances outlined below:

"Generally, a disclosure can be made in the public interest to assist the police in preventing or detecting a serious crime or to prevent serious harm to another person. Your regulator may set out professional standards in relation to public interest disclosures which you will need to abide by." - Sharing Information with the Police

Medical cannabis was legalised via amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Act which came into place on 1st November 2018.

MedBud validates all organisations listed on our website, covering all clinics, pharmacies and medications available - with further contact details should they be required by any party.

Card Identification Schemes

There are services such as CanCard which offer an unofficial medical cannabis identification card, we would not generally recommend such a form of identification - which neither needs to be accepted by police, nor is evidence of lawful consumption or legitimate medical need.

Metropolitan Police directly answered a question relating to the validity of CanCard and (the now defunct) MedCannID.

"[What is] the constabulary's policy or position relating to the recognition of unaccredited card schemes such as CanCard or MedCannID, if such a policy exists."

"The MPS follows NPCC guidance. Position – CanCard/MedCannID does not provide an individual with [an] excuse to possess cannabis. This is not the same a prescription. However, an Evidential Review Officer (ERO) would likely take CanCard into account when considering a disposal option such as No Further Action (NFA)."

Currently, a copy of a valid prescription or the pharmacy label on medication packaging, is the only way of identifying a lawful cannabis patient.