Jersey’s sweeping new advertising ban risks undermining patient education and reducing understanding of treatment pathways, a medicinal cannabis clinic has warned.
Medicann said the Medicines (Advertising) (Jersey) Order 2026 – which came into force on 13 January – could have unintended consequences by preventing clinics from explaining, in general terms, which conditions might qualify for assessment or treatment.
The warning follows the move to tighten advertising rules amid mounting concerns about unsafe prescribing, mental-health harms and a developing black market for prescription cannabis.
Medicann said it supported clear regulation and stressed it had never marketed specific cannabis products or made therapeutic claims.
“Medicann has always aligned itself with the advertising guidelines in the UK, and as a business we have consistently focused on promoting our clinical services and governance rather than the medicines themselves,” the clinic said.
However, it added that the new law “will mean that clinics will no longer be able to easily educate patients about which conditions may qualify for assessment or treatment”.
While the intention was to prevent inappropriate promotion, Medicann warned this could make it harder for patients to understand whether seeking a consultation was appropriate – placing “greater importance on clear regulatory guidance and clinician-led engagement”.
The new law bans any advertising “likely to lead to the use” of a prescription-only medicine, even if it stops short of encouraging people to seek a prescription. Breaches carry criminal penalties of up to two years in prison or a fine.
Medicann said the restrictions could hit awareness among those unfamiliar with regulated medicinal cannabis services.
“Limiting how clinics can communicate publicly does risk reducing general understanding of legitimate treatment pathways,” it said, adding that the clinic had long taken a “proactive and responsible approach” to education.
Medicann also questioned the premise that responsible advertising by regulated clinics had driven the harms highlighted by health leaders, including a “notable increase” in psychiatric admissions among patients prescribed large amounts of medicinal cannabis.
“We do not agree that responsible advertising by regulated, clinician-led clinics has been a primary driver of inappropriate prescribing or mental-health harms,” it said, arguing risks arose instead from poor governance or unregulated sources.
Health Minister Tom Binet previously said that the island had been “swift to legalise medical cannabis” without sufficient regulatory groundwork, with further oversight under consideration.
Medicann said it was already in contact with the government to seek clarification on the “grey areas” between prohibited advertising and permissible education.
“Ongoing dialogue between regulators and providers will be essential,” it said, warning that patient safety must not be protected “by unnecessarily limiting access to accurate information”.
The government is also due to debate proposals that could end prosecutions for personal cannabis use and even pave the way for a government-run cannabis supply trial next month.