In this episode of The Cannabis Conversation, host Anuj Desai speaks with Mike Roberts, a UK medical cannabis patient who became the first person to successfully secure NHS funding for prescribed cannabis flower. Mike shares his personal journey through cancer treatment, the failures of conventional anti sickness medications, and the lengthy, often frustrating process of convincing the NHS to fund cannabis as a legitimate medicine.
Key Highlights and Insights
Historic NHS milestone
Mike Roberts became the first patient in the UK to receive NHS funding specifically for cannabis flower, not sprays or synthetic cannabinoids, under the indication of chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting.
Conventional treatments repeatedly failed
Before cannabis was approved, Mike was required to try multiple NHS approved antiemetics including metoclopramide, ondansetron, levomepromazine and nabilone, all of which he describes as either ineffective or severely debilitating.
Cannabis proved more effective and functional
Mike explains that inhaled cannabis flower provided rapid relief from nausea and vomiting, improved appetite, reduced anxiety and fatigue, and allowed him to remain alert and functional, including being able to work.
Quality of life was central to the funding case
The NHS application was not framed solely around symptom control, but around enabling Mike to function in society, maintain employment, and protect his mental health during aggressive cancer treatment.
Individual Funding Request was the key mechanism
NHS funding was secured through an Individual Funding Request supported by a cooperative GP. Mike highlights that GP support is a major barrier for many patients.
The NHS resisted flower specifically
Funding panels initially attempted to substitute cannabis flower with Sativex and nabilone, reflecting ongoing institutional discomfort with prescribing whole flower rather than pharmaceutical cannabis products.
Proof through failure was required
Mike had to demonstrate documented failure of multiple approved treatments, including a final failed trial of nabilone during chemotherapy, before flower was approved.
The decision date is symbolically significant
NHS approval was granted on 20 April, known globally as 4/20, marking the first time NHS England agreed to fund cannabis flower.
Private clinics played a critical role
Prior to NHS approval, Mike accessed cannabis through UK private clinics, experimenting with over 20 strains and carefully documenting effects to identify those suitable for daytime and evening use.
Precedent for future patients
Mike views his case as a foot in the door for other patients, particularly those undergoing chemotherapy, and encourages others to apply, document outcomes, and speak publicly about success.
Top 10 quotes from Mike Roberts on being the first to receive NHS funded cannabis flower
“I realised I had a rare opportunity, because there are only three conditions where cannabis can be funded by the NHS, and chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting was one I qualified for.”
“This was not just about stopping nausea and vomiting, it was about quality of life and being able to live normally while going through cancer treatment.”
“Cannabis allowed me to function, to go to work, and to be part of society while dealing with incredibly aggressive treatments.”
“What I asked for was not a spray or a synthetic product, it was actual cannabis flower that you vaporise, the same plant people recognise as cannabis.”
“I had to go through every single option they demanded, even though cannabis had already been working for me from the start.”
“Trying nabilone during chemotherapy was horrific, I was violently sick before I had even started treatment that day.”
“As soon as I used the cannabis strain that had worked before, the nausea stopped very quickly.”
“Within minutes of vaping cannabis, I was able to sit down, eat a meal, and talk normally with my family.”
“For me personally, cannabis worked and nabilone did not, despite the NHS insisting I try it first.”
“When the NHS finally agreed to fund cannabis flower, it marked the first time they had ever approved flower itself, not a pharmaceutical substitute.”
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