In 2022, Louis Petit, a young artist diagnosed with a rare form of epilepsy at age 12, prepared to return to the UK after spending several years in the Netherlands, where he accessed medical cannabis legally to control his seizures. Louis’s condition, which was initially considered untreatable by his UK neurologists, improved significantly thanks to a cannabis oil called Bedrolite, used alongside conventional anti-epileptic medication. This treatment was only accessible to him while living in Rotterdam, as medical cannabis was illegal in the UK at the time of his diagnosis.
By the time Louis secured a place at the City and Guilds of London Art School, medicinal cannabis had been legalised in the UK following persistent campaigns by families like Charlotte Caldwell and Hannah Deacon. Despite this change, Louis has not been able to obtain medical cannabis through the National Health Service (NHS). Instead, he has relied on the private market, where cannabis products can cost up to £4,000 per month. This reliance on private suppliers is common among UK patients, as NHS prescriptions for cannabis-based products remain extremely rare—fewer than five unlicensed cannabis prescriptions were provided across the entire NHS until 2025.
The private sector in the UK has seen a surge in medical cannabis sales, driven by online prescriptions, rapid delivery services, and targeted advertising, often promoting cannabis for wellness uses such as anxiety and sleep disorders. However, the specific product used by Louis, Bedrolite, is a specialised cannabis oil formulated for children with drug-resistant epilepsy and cannot be substituted with more widely marketed cannabis products.
A recent development has intensified concerns about access to this medication. Bedrolite’s manufacturer, the Dutch company Bedrocan, has declared bankruptcy, threatening the ongoing supply of the drug to UK patients reliant on it. While a UK-based pharmaceutical company, Target Healthcare, has committed to securing a six-month stockpile of Bedrolite, the long-term availability beyond that period remains uncertain.
Louis’s mother, Emma Petit, highlighted that despite neurologists’ approval and a funding request to NHS England, public prescriptions for Bedrolite have not been granted, effectively restricting access to those who can afford private treatment. She noted there is stock in the Netherlands sufficient until 2028, but it cannot be accessed without NHS approval.
Critics argue that the UK government has largely disregarded the needs of epileptic patients requiring medical cannabis, partly due to longstanding stigma surrounding cannabis and the complexities of integrating it into NHS prescribing systems. When medicinal cannabis was legalised in 2018, then Home Secretary Sajid Javid expressed support for patients, but the rollout of NHS prescriptions has been limited, leaving many patients dependent on a costly and unstable private market.
Advocates are calling for government intervention to secure Bedrolite supplies for current patients and for comprehensive regulatory frameworks and investment to incorporate medical cannabis into NHS treatment options. They warn that the current situation risks patients like Louis facing severe health consequences if access is suddenly cut off.
As the government faces mounting pressure, the coming months will be critical in determining whether access to medical cannabis for epilepsy patients in the UK can be stabilized and expanded beyond the private market.