Addressing a specialist coverage gap
Coversure Network has launched Cupican Insurance Brokers in Stevenage, a specialist brokerage led by Richard Cupit focusing on medical cannabis risks. The UK medical cannabis market has expanded faster than its supporting insurance infrastructure, with NHS Business Services Authority dispensing records showing private prescriptions rising from 282,920 items in 2023 to 659,293 in 2024. Active patient populations are estimated between 80,000 and 90,000, while Prohibition Partners' UK Medical Cannabis Market Update 2026 values the wider market at £302 million to £389 million with over 140,000 patients.
Regulatory requirements and network expansion
Clinics, importers, pharmacies, and prescribing doctors carry distinct exposures across medical malpractice, professional indemnity, product liability, and regulatory cover, which standard commercial policies routinely exclude. The General Medical Council's Good Medical Practice 2024 guidance mandates that doctors hold appropriate insurance covering their full scope of practice. Cupit previously managed medical cannabis coverage at Towergate Insurance Brokers and PIB Insurance Brokers. The launch represents the first dedicated medical cannabis brokerage for Coversure, which has passed 90 offices and reported two consecutive years of record growth driven by experienced brokers establishing specialist propositions.