 Dear Jamie,

 Reference No: EH-347105-K7L9T9

 FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000
  
 Thank you for contacting the National Institute for Health and Care
 Excellence (NICE) with your request for information, sent to our office on
 26 May 2026, in which you asked for the following information regarding
 cannabis-based products for medicinal use (CBPMs) particularly dried
 cannabis flower prescribed in private healthcare settings.

  

 I am seeking recorded information about whether any national, regulatory,
 clinical, inspection, safety, licensing or policy guidance exists in
 relation to maximum THC percentage limits for prescribed CBPM flower.

 Please provide the following information.

 1. Recorded guidance on THC percentage limits

 Please provide any recorded guidance, policy, inspection guidance,
 regulatory guidance, internal briefing, position statement or other
 recorded information held by your organisation which refers to:

 a. maximum THC percentage limits for prescribed CBPM flower;
 b. THC percentage thresholds such as 20%, 22%, 25%, 26%, 28%, 30% or
 similar;
 c. whether prescribers or clinics should restrict patients to a maximum
 THC percentage;
 d. whether higher-THC CBPM flower requires additional clinical
 justification, approval, review, risk assessment or governance oversight.

 2. Basis for any THC percentage cap or threshold

 If your organisation holds information suggesting that THC percentage caps
 or thresholds are used, recommended, expected or considered good practice,
 please provide recorded information explaining:

 a. the clinical, regulatory or evidential basis for those caps or
 thresholds;
 b. whether such caps are mandatory, advisory, discretionary, or left to
 prescriber judgement;
 c. whether any cap differs depending on diagnosis, age, psychiatric
 history, prior cannabis use, tolerance, treatment response, dose, route of
 administration, or risk of misuse/diversion.

 3. Private clinic prescribing governance

 Please provide recorded information held by your organisation about how
 private CBPM clinics are expected to justify, review, audit or document
 decisions involving higher-THC flower.

 This includes any recorded information about:

 a. prescribing governance;
 b. multidisciplinary review;
 c. specialist sign-off;
 d. audit requirements;
 e. risk assessments;
 f. patient-specific clinical rationale;
 g. situations where a clinic restricts product strength or THC percentage.

  

 The Freedom of Information Act relates to recorded information held by a
 public authority at the time of the request.

 Response

  

 1. Recorded guidance on THC percentage limits

  

 Information not held.

 While we have published a guideline on [1]cannabis-based medicinal
 products [NG144], we have not made any recommendations on THC percentage
 limits or thresholds.

  

 2. Basis for any THC percentage cap or threshold

  

 Not applicable – see response to question 1.

 3. Private clinic prescribing governance

  

 Information not held. We have not made any recommendations on private
 clinic prescribing governance.

  

 NICE guidance only covers settings where NHS or social care is provided or
 commissioned. Although private providers may choose to follow our
 guidance, the recommendations in NICE guidance does not formally apply to
 private settings.

  

 Our guideline NG144 does not make any recommendations on how clinics are
 expected to justify, review, audit or document decisions involving
 higher-THC flower.

  

 Additional background information provided outside of the FOI Act

  

 NICE is not a regulator and the recommendations in NG144 are not
 mandatory.

  

 The Home Office has published a [2]Drug licensing factsheet: cannabis, CBD
 and other cannabinoids and you may wish to contact them to see if they
 hold relevant information.

 If you have any questions on this response, you are welcome to contact the
 enquiry handling team at [3][NICE request email].

 If you are unhappy with this response and want an internal review of how
 we handled your request, you must write to us within 40 working days of
 our response. Send your request to: Associate Director, Corporate Office,
 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2nd Floor, 2 Redman
 Place, London, E20 1JQ or email: [4][email address]. When we
 receive your request we will send you an acknowledgement within 5 working
 days.

 The Associate Director, Corporate Office, will review your complaint and
 send you a full reply usually within 20 working days. If you are
 dissatisfied with the outcome of this review, you can apply directly to
 the Information Commissioner for a decision at: The Information
 Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9
 5AF.

  

 Kind regards,

  

 Heather

 Communications executive (Enquiries)

 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

 3rd floor | 3 Piccadilly Place | Manchester M1 3BN | United Kingdom

 Web: [5]www.nice.org.uk 

  

 [6]Stay informed about new or updated recommendations from NICE. Subscribe
 for our latest news, features and guidance.

  

 ------------------- Original Message -------------------
 From: Jamie Halliday <[7][FOI #1449944 email]>;
 Received: Tue May 26 2026 10:00:32 GMT+0100 (British Summer Time)
 To: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
 <[8][NICE request email]>; National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
 (NICE) <[9][NICE request email]>; NICE mail <[10][NICE request email]>;
 Subject: Freedom of Information request - THC percentage limits in CBPM
 prescribing guidance

 [You don't often get email from
 [11][FOI #1449944 email]. Learn why this is
 important at [12]https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentification ]

 Dear Sir or Madam,

 Please treat this as a request for information under the Freedom of
 Information Act 2000.

 This request concerns cannabis-based products for medicinal use (CBPMs),
 particularly dried cannabis flower prescribed in private healthcare
 settings.

 I am seeking recorded information about whether any national, regulatory,
 clinical, inspection, safety, licensing or policy guidance exists in
 relation to maximum THC percentage limits for prescribed CBPM flower.

 Please provide the following information.

 1. Recorded guidance on THC percentage limits

 Please provide any recorded guidance, policy, inspection guidance,
 regulatory guidance, internal briefing, position statement or other
 recorded information held by your organisation which refers to:

 a. maximum THC percentage limits for prescribed CBPM flower;
 b. THC percentage thresholds such as 20%, 22%, 25%, 26%, 28%, 30% or
 similar;
 c. whether prescribers or clinics should restrict patients to a maximum
 THC percentage;
 d. whether higher-THC CBPM flower requires additional clinical
 justification, approval, review, risk assessment or governance oversight.

 2. Basis for any THC percentage cap or threshold

 If your organisation holds information suggesting that THC percentage caps
 or thresholds are used, recommended, expected or considered good practice,
 please provide recorded information explaining:

 a. the clinical, regulatory or evidential basis for those caps or
 thresholds;
 b. whether such caps are mandatory, advisory, discretionary, or left to
 prescriber judgement;
 c. whether any cap differs depending on diagnosis, age, psychiatric
 history, prior cannabis use, tolerance, treatment response, dose, route of
 administration, or risk of misuse/diversion.

 3. Private clinic prescribing governance

 Please provide recorded information held by your organisation about how
 private CBPM clinics are expected to justify, review, audit or document
 decisions involving higher-THC flower.

 This includes any recorded information about:

 a. prescribing governance;
 b. multidisciplinary review;
 c. specialist sign-off;
 d. audit requirements;
 e. risk assessments;
 f. patient-specific clinical rationale;
 g. situations where a clinic restricts product strength or THC percentage.

 4. No information held

 If your organisation does not hold any recorded information setting,
 recommending, endorsing or discussing a maximum THC percentage limit for
 prescribed CBPM flower, please confirm this explicitly.

 For clarity, I am not requesting patient-identifiable information,
 individual prescribing records, or information about any specific patient.

 Please provide the information electronically.

 Yours faithfully,
 Jamie Halliday

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References

 Visible links
 1. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng144
 2. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cannabis-cbd-and-other-cannabinoids-drug-licensing-factsheet/drug-licensing-factsheet-cannabis-cbd-and-other-cannabinoids#cannabidiol-cbd-and-its-control-status
 3. mailto:[NICE request email]
 4. mailto:[email address]
 5. http://www.nice.org.uk/
 6. https://www.nice.org.uk/nice-newsletters-and-alerts
 7. mailto:[FOI #1449944 email]
 8. mailto:[NICE request email]
 9. mailto:[NICE request email]
 10. mailto:[NICE request email]
 11. mailto:[FOI #1449944 email]
 12. https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentification
 13. mailto:[FOI #1449944 email]
 14. mailto:[NICE request email]
 15. https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/change_request/new?body=nice
 16. https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/officers
 17. https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-guidance-for-authorities
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