Data from England’s medical cannabis market shows that over 15 tonnes of flower were prescribed in 2025, but for the first time since November 2018, dried flower has lost ground to faster-growing formats such as vapes and pastilles.
New NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) data analysed by cannabis research firm Cannamonitor shows 633,000 prescribed items in the first seven months of 2025 alone – already around 97% of the full-year 2024 total.
The amount of cannabis flower prescribed each month has grown eightfold in the last three years. Data shows that monthly volumes have surged from 158kg in 2022 to 1,370kg by July 2025. However, flower’s share of total prescribed items has slipped from 84% to 83% as vapes grew 182%, pastilles jumped 131%, and oils and tinctures rose 27% on a monthly run-rate compared with 2024.
“The UK is no longer an emerging market but a scaling one – and the build-out of clinical and supply infrastructure is driving demand,” said Arnau Valdovinos from Cannamonitor. “Some see it following in Germany’s footsteps: quietly legalising cannabis through the pharmacy.”
The estimated 80,000 UK patients prescribed cannabis now have access to a significantly wider range of products than a year ago. Five years ago, the market was effectively a choice between flower and oil. Today, patients can choose from dried flower in varying potencies of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), vape cartridges and disposables, pastilles, oils and tinctures. New niche formats coming online – such as ointments, extracts, pessaries and suppositories – are also arriving on the market in 2026.
“UK flower is growing fast – but vapes and pastilles are growing faster, a dynamic already seen in Australia,” said Valdovinos. “The shift is small in relative terms, but it points to product innovation as a real driver of market momentum.”
The data reveal a clinical shift in how cannabis is being delivered. Inhalable formats remain overwhelmingly THC-dominant, with 97% of flower and 88% of vapes in this category. By contrast, oral formats are now majority-balanced, with 56% of oral liquids and 77% of oral solids containing balanced THC:CBD ratios.
Average THC potency in prescribed flower has risen from 20.3% in 2022 to 23.8% in the first half of 2025, but the market is splitting at both ends rather than simply chasing higher potency.
The proportion of flower items with over 28% THC has grown from 13% to 18%, whilst the mid-range 20-24% band has compressed from 44% to 39%. Meanwhile, the under-20% band has rebounded from 5% to 8%, driven by the arrival of budget “smalls” and “popcorn” products at more accessible price points.
“The data shows higher average potency, but also a market splitting at both ends: premium high-THC products at the top, and smalls and popcorns rebuilding the value tier at the bottom,” said Valdovinos
