 Dear Mr Halliday

  

 I acknowledge receipt of your correspondence dated 26 May 2026, in which
 you made a request for information.

  

 Your request is as follows:

  

 “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.”

  

 CQC will consider your request in accordance with the Freedom of
 Information Act 2000 (FOIA).

  

 Our statutory deadline for response is 23 June 2026, but we will in any
 event endeavour to respond as soon as possible.

  

 We will write to you if we are unable to meet this deadline.

  

 The information you have requested may be subject to an exemption from the
 right to know. Should this occur, we will explain the reasons why when we
 respond

  

 Regards

  

 On behalf of:

 Information Access Team

  

 For information about CQC, including contact details, information about
 how we use and protect personal data, and how to request information from
 us, go to [1]https://www.cqc.org.uk/contact-us

  

 Please note my working hours are:  Mon 8-1, Tues – Thurs 8 – 12.30

  

  

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References

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 1. https://www.cqc.org.uk/contact-us


