Together for Patients
A UK-wide campaign dedicated to raising awareness, sharing knowledge and bringing people together around medical cannabis and the experiences of the patients who rely on it.
MCAW exists because there is still a significant gap between the reality of medical cannabis treatment and public understanding of it. Patients can face stigma, misunderstanding, difficulties accessing treatment, concerns about travelling or using their medication in public, and a lack of clear, accessible information.
MCAW brings patients, healthcare professionals, clinics, pharmacies, organisations, advocates, researchers, businesses and members of the wider community together for a week of conversations, education, patient stories and community events. But MCAW is about more than one week.
We believe awareness can help change that.
Medical Cannabis Awareness Week was created from a simple idea: bring the community together and give people a platform to talk openly about medical cannabis.
The first MCAW grew from work already being carried out across the UK medical cannabis community. Patients, advocates, organisations and industry professionals were all working to improve understanding in their own spaces — MCAW brought those voices together under one shared campaign, designed from the start to be collaborative rather than to represent a single organisation or perspective.
MCAW is evolving into a collaborative annual awareness campaign that brings the UK medical cannabis community together — a programme of online events, educational sessions, patient stories, discussions, Q&As, guest speakers and community activities.
You might join a live discussion, hear a patient's story, learn more about CBPMs, ask a healthcare professional a question, discover an organisation working in the sector, or simply take the opportunity to learn something new. There is no single voice that represents the entire medical cannabis community.
MCAW is about making space for many voices.
As MCAW develops, Medical Cannabis UK (MCUK) is taking responsibility for coordinating and developing the campaign. MCUK is a patient-led Community Interest Company working to improve outcomes for people prescribed Cannabis Based Prescription Medicines (CBPMs) across the UK, and we believe MCAW is closely aligned with that mission.
Our intention is not to make MCAW exclusively an MCUK campaign. Instead, we want to provide the structure, continuity and resources needed for it to grow while keeping collaboration at its core — coordinating the annual campaign, developing its programme, supporting participating organisations and contributors, and ensuring MCAW remains accessible to the wider community.
MCAW belongs to the community. MCUK's role is to help bring that community together.
Our ambition is for Medical Cannabis Awareness Week to become a recognised annual fixture in the UK medical cannabis calendar. As the campaign grows, we want to expand the range of people involved and the subjects we can explore — creating more opportunities across the community.
Patients
Sharing experiences and having their voices heard.
Healthcare professionals
Providing reliable, responsible education.
Researchers & academics
Sharing emerging evidence and developments.
Clinics & pharmacies
Contributing to conversations around treatment and access.
Industry organisations
Supporting education and responsible engagement.
Advocacy organisations & charities
Highlighting the issues affecting patients.
Patient advocates & creators
Helping reach new audiences.
The wider public
Learning about medical cannabis without stigma.
Medical cannabis awareness should not begin and end with a single week in November. MCAW provides a focal point for the community — a moment each year when we can come together, celebrate progress, acknowledge the challenges that remain and start important conversations. But the work continues throughout the year.
The stories shared during MCAW can challenge stigma. The information discussed during its events can help people make better-informed decisions. The connections made through the campaign can lead to collaboration. And the conversations started during one week can continue long afterwards.
One week. Many voices. One community.
Medical Cannabis Awareness Week — Together for Patients.