Cross Party Group for Medicinal Cannabis Project
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What's the Project About?
The Scottish Parliament CPG for Medicinal Cannabis IAA project utilises Humanities research methods to:
strengthen the network of stakeholders
inform policy and explore the avenues for equitable access to the cannabis-based prescription medicines (CBPMs)
contribute to reducing stigma still attached to CBPMs treatment and patients.
The project is underpinned by research in history of regulation and policy development of (medicinal) cannabis in the UK led by Professor Jim Mills, alongside knowledge exchange work coordinated by Dr Milica Prokić.
While engaging with a range of patients and conditions, the group’s particular focus is on children with severe treatment-resistant epilepsy for whom all the other treatment options had proven ineffective.
Through the work of the group, the Strathclyde IAA team (Prof. Mills and Dr Prokić) have engaged with clinicians, patient groups, industry representatives and advocacy organisations . The key partner on the project is the Scottish Parliament CPG for Medicinal Cannabis, of which the Strathclyde IAA team is an integral part, with Prof. Mills acting as the current secretary of the group.
The Challenge
Although medicinal cannabis has been legal in the UK since 2018, it remains a contested issue with limited access for patients through the NHS. Policy bottlenecks, restrictive prescribing practices, societal stigma and supply issues continue to hinder equitable access to the treatment—despite clear evidence of its effectiveness in treating and relieving conditions such as chronic pain, cancer, and treatment-resistant childhood epilepsy.
Our Key Activities
Since the Strathclyde Team joined the CPG, we have:
Conducted interviews with patients, researchers, journalists and patients’ parents and guardians
Engaged with MPs and members of the Westminster All Party Parliamentary Group on Medicinal Cannabis.
Contributed evidence to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) review of CBPM regulations.
Facilitated CPG meetings which have brought together experts and policymakers from the UK and the US.
Supported MSPs in securing multiple parliamentary questions to sustain discussion about the CBPMs within Holyrood and influence the parliamentary agenda.
Coordinated engagement between researchers, MSPs, patient groups, and advocacy organisations.
Established and maintained relationships with parents of children affected by severe epilepsy across Scotland, England, and Wales.
Collaborated with journalists and media outlets to broaden public awareness and policy visibility.
Milica Prokic hosting a group event at the University of Strathclyde.
Legacy Plans
Since the conclusion of the CPG in 2026 with the end of the 2021-2026 Scottish Parliament, we scoped out a legacy plan which was approved by the MSP Convenor. Ethical approval was secured to record interviews with key participants in CPG meetings and activities from 2021 onwards, including activists, patients and parents, policymakers, industry representatives, and medical experts. These interviews will be transcribed and fully accessible through a dedicated website hosted by the University of Strathclyde. The aim is to fully inform MSPs and policy-makers in the new Scottish Parliament about the activities of the CPG, and to provide a resource for those taking the issue forward.
Our Impact
Within Holyrood:
Since the Strathclyde team joined the CPG and Prof. Mills took over as the CPG Secretary in 2024 on the invitation from the Convenor of the CPG Pauline McNeil MSP, the group focused on the issue of greater access to legal cannabis-based prescription medicines (CBPMs) and parliamentary action.
Continuing the conversation within Holyrood and influencing the parliamentary agenda, the CPG Convenor secured a question in the Public Health and Women's Health Portfolio Question Time on 19/2/25 alongside two further questions by MSP members of the group.
Beyond Holyrood:
The networking efforts of the Strathclyde CPG team (Prof Jim Mills and Dr Milica Prokic) have yielded important contacts and collaborations with journalists covering medicinal cannabis themes for the Forbes, The Telegraph and Cannabis Health News, as well as patient associations, with activist groups such as the MedCan Family Foundation, and MPs from England and Wales, including members of the Westminster All Party Group on Medicinal Cannabis.
The team has also succeeded in bringing experts and policymakers from UK and the US as speakers to online CPG meetings.
In June 2025, Professor Mills was invited as speaker at Cannabis Europa, the largest cannabis industry conference in Europe.
Informing Policy
ACMD evidence submission: In 2025 the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) conducted a comprehensive review of the 2018 changes to CBPM regulations in the UK. This review will directly shape how CBPMs are regulated, prescribed, and accessed for years to come. Mills and Prokic coordinated the response from the CPG and compiled as authors its final report, submitted in October 2025. It included a reference to research by Mills into the history of cannabis policy in the UK.
Cannabis based products for medicinal use - call for evidence
500x500.jpg "Holyrood by Bernt Rostad")
Holyrood, by Bernt Rostad.
Contact us
Need further information or looking to make an enquiry about commissioning CPD? Contact us at hass-rke@strath.ac.uk.