Narcotics prescription (Betäubungsmittelrezept)

The narcotics prescription (Betäubungsmittelrezept) is the official, numbered form that physicians in Switzerland must use for medicines with controlled substances of Verzeichnisse a and d; for Verzeichnisse b and c, a simple prescription is sufficient (Art. 46 para. 2 and 3 BetmKV). Cannabis for medical purposes is listed in Verzeichnis a of the BetmVV-EDI, so cannabis medicines with at least 1.0 percent total THC are prescribed on this form (Art. 46 para. 2 BetmKV).

Form, content and validity

Swissmedic supplies the forms to the cantons, which pass them on to the physicians entitled to prescribe (Art. 47 para. 5 BetmKV). Since November 2017 they have been trilingual three-part sets with a barcode next to the prescription number, so that pharmacies can check whether a form is valid or blocked (Swissmedic notice of 8 November 2017). Swissmedic publishes a list of blocked forms.

• Content: name, address, signature and stamp of the prescribing physician; surname, first name, date of birth and address of the patient; date of issue; details of the medicine; quantity; directions for use. A copy goes into the medical record (Art. 47 para. 1 and 4 BetmKV).
• Validity: one month (Art. 47 para. 2 BetmKV); cantonal practice for longer treatment periods varies.
• Quantity: at most the need for one month of treatment; where circumstances justify it, up to three months, with the exact duration of the ongoing treatment stated on the form (Art. 47 para. 3 BetmKV).
• Repeat dispensing: not permitted unless the prescribing physician notes otherwise (Art. 51 para. 3 BetmKV).

Where patients meet it

A narcotics prescription is issued only where medically indicated: narcotics may be prescribed only to the extent required by the recognised rules of medical science (Art. 11 para. 1 BetmG). There is no entitlement to a prescription; the physician decides on the basis of the medical assessment. The prescription becomes the property of the patient, who chooses freely where it is filled (Art. 26 para. 2bis let. b HMG). How the original reaches the pharmacy is explained on the page how the prescription reaches the pharmacy.