The Programme

We are in the non-contact Prod A class. We will talk with spectators and drivers, and show that medical cannabis patients can take part in motorsport. The meeting ends with a Big Bang firework display.

Racing starts at 11:00. Gate prices: adults £20, concessions £15, children (10 to 16) £15, under 10s free, family (2 adults, 2 children) £55. Cheaper late entry after 4pm.

Topics

• Life before medical cannabis
• Discovering cannabis as medicine
• Getting a prescription
• What has changed
• The cost of treatment
• NHS vs private access
• Stigma and discrimination
• What patients still need

Medical Cannabis Awareness Week (MCAW) brings the UK medical cannabis community together to share experiences, increase understanding and encourage meaningful discussion around issues affecting patients.

This session looks at what Medical Cannabis Awareness Week is, where it came from and why it is still needed.

We’ll explore the purpose of MCAW, what we hope to achieve through the week and why bringing patients, organisations, professionals and the wider community together remains important.

There will also be an opportunity to ask questions, share your thoughts and take part in the discussion.

Whether you are a patient, carer, healthcare professional, organisation, industry representative or simply interested in learning more, everyone is welcome.

Topics

• Who is accessing medical cannabis?
• Cost of treatment
• Patient support
• Access barriers
• NHS access
• Affordability
• Patient education
• What needs to change?

Special segment: Ask the Clinic — questions submitted by patients.

Lounge entry is £5. Please bring proof of prescription and ID.

At the heart of Medical Cannabis Awareness Week are the people who actually live with the realities of being a CBPM patient.

This patient-focused session provides an opportunity for patients and patient representatives to share their experiences and talk openly about their journeys with CBPMs.

Discussion will cover topics including access to treatment, navigating treatment pathways, experiences of care and the practical realities of living as a patient.

Lived experience is an important part of understanding where the UK CBPM sector is today and where improvements are still needed.

Join us to listen, learn and discuss the experiences of patients across the community.

Topics

• Evidence vs patient experience
• Why some doctors remain cautious
• THC and CBD
• Side effects and risks
• Mental health
• Dependency
• Drug interactions
• Medical education
• The future of prescribing

What do we actually know about the science behind CBPMs?

This educational session explores some of the key science underpinning cannabinoid-based prescription medicines, including cannabinoids, the endocannabinoid system and the current evidence base.

We’ll look at the science in an accessible way, helping patients and members of the wider community better understand the medicines they may encounter as part of CBPM treatment.

The session is an opportunity to learn, ask questions and explore what the evidence currently tells us — as well as where further research is still needed.

Comparing

• Legal access
• Prescription costs
• Public healthcare
• Home cultivation
• Patient rights
• Criminalisation
• Remaining barriers

Special feature: The Global Patient Declaration — a collaborative statement setting out the principles that patients around the world believe should underpin medical cannabis policy.

For many patients prescribed CBPMs, understanding how to use their prescribed medicine appropriately is an important part of treatment.

This practical and educational session looks at vapourisers and thermal extraction devices, their role in CBPM use and some of the considerations patients may need to be aware of.

The session will provide an opportunity to learn more about the technology involved, ask questions and better understand the considerations around using devices with prescribed CBPMs.

This session is intended as an educational discussion for patients and the wider community.

Being prescribed CBPMs is only one part of being a patient. Navigating access to treatment and managing life alongside that treatment can bring a range of practical challenges.

This discussion looks at what it is actually like to navigate life as a CBPM patient, including access, treatment pathways and some of the practical experiences patients encounter along the way.

We’ll explore the realities of the patient journey and the challenges that can exist beyond the consultation room.

Join us for an open discussion focused on patient experience, access and the things that matter in everyday life.

The timeline

• UPA’s beginnings
• Patient activism
• Parliamentary campaigning
• Patients at Parliament
• The Billy Caldwell case and the 2018 law change
• The reality after legalisation
• Brighton Medicinal Cannabis Summit
• UPA’s campaigns today

Once the result is in, we will share the place, meeting point and access information.

Fill in the form, share it, and come and see us on the day.

KAST (KA Aromatic Sensory Translation) will join us to carry out terpene analysis for patients. They will test your medicine, give you a terpene breakdown and explain how to understand your medicine better.

The UK CBPM community is made up of many different people and organisations, all with their own experiences, perspectives and roles.

This broad community discussion brings together patient organisations, clinics, producers, industry and other organisations working within the sector to explore who we are, the challenges we share and how we can work together for patients.

What can different parts of the community contribute? Where are the opportunities for collaboration? And how can we make sure patients remain at the centre of what we do?

Join us for an open conversation about the community and the importance of working together.

Topics

• Why patients want to grow
• Affordability
• Patient autonomy
• Experiences in other countries
• Quality and safety
• Possible regulatory models
• Criminalisation of patients
• What legislation could look like

This will be a peaceful, visible awareness action. Medical cannabis has been legal to prescribe for eight years, yet patients still face stigma, misunderstanding and barriers in everyday life.

Alongside the action, PatientsCann UK has written an open letter to the Prime Minister asking them to stand with prescribed medical cannabis patients and tackle the stigma and discrimination they face at work, at home and in public. Everyone who signs will have their name handed in to 10 Downing Street on Saturday 7 November.

On the day

• 1:30pm: petition hand-in (confirmed)
• 2:00pm to 6:00pm: planned static protest

The meeting point will be shared before the day.

Come and stand with patients, or share the action online if you cannot be there.

UPA then presents its proposed 2027–2030 Campaign Agenda, and the week’s speakers come back together to ask: “What are we going to do next?”

Proposed agenda pillars

• NHS access
• Affordable medicine
• Patient rights
• Grow your own
• Better medical education
• Patient involvement in policy
• Independent research
• Ending patient stigma

Where do we go from here?

This session looks towards the future of the UK CBPM sector and the patient community, exploring where things could go next and what changes may lie ahead.

Discussion will include developments in treatment, research, access and the wider patient movement, as well as some of the opportunities and challenges that could shape the years ahead.

The future of CBPM treatment will affect patients, healthcare professionals, organisations and the wider sector — so this is an opportunity to consider what that future could look like and what we want to see from it.

We’ll bring Medical Cannabis Awareness Week 2026 to a close with an opportunity to reflect on the week and discuss the questions and topics that have come up along the way.

This final session will feature a general Q&A, using questions and subjects raised throughout the week. It’s your opportunity to ask anything you may still be wondering about following the various MCAW sessions.

We’ll also take some time to reflect on the discussions and conversations from across the week before looking ahead to what comes next for MCAW and what we hope to be doing next year.

Thank you for being part of Medical Cannabis Awareness Week 2026 — we hope you’ll join us for the final conversation.