Questions
Each answer starts with the short version, then gives the legal basis and links to the official source. Checked against Swiss federal law and the cantonal pharmacists' guidelines.
The legal situation
- Is medical cannabis legal in Switzerland?Yes, for medical purposes. Since 1 August 2022, medical cannabis has been a controlled rather than a prohibited narcotic: where medically indicated, physicians may prescribe it without an exceptional authorisation from the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG), and pharmacies dispense it only on a narcotics prescription (Art. 8 and 13 BetmG, Art. 46 BetmKV).
- Who may prescribe medical cannabis in Switzerland?Physicians who practise under their own professional responsibility are authorised to prescribe narcotics and, since 1 August 2022, can prescribe medical cannabis where medically indicated without an exceptional authorisation from the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) (Art. 10 para. 1 and Art. 8 para. 5 let. b BetmG). Practising under one's own professional responsibility requires a licence from the canton (Art. 34 para. 1 MedBG).
- Can you get medical cannabis without a prescription?No. Medical cannabis is a narcotic in Verzeichnis a: it may be prescribed only on the official narcotics prescription form, and pharmacies may dispense narcotics to the public only on a medical prescription (Art. 46 para. 2 BetmKV, Art. 13 BetmG).
- Is CBD legal in Switzerland?CBD is not listed as a controlled substance, and hemp products with less than 1.0 percent total THC are not narcotics. Whether such a product may be sold depends on its product category, which decides the applicable law and authority (BetmVV-EDI; factsheet on products with cannabidiol, version 8.0).
- Who supervises prescriptions and pharmacies?The cantons supervise physicians and pharmacies: cantonal physicians oversee the medical duty of care, and cantonal pharmacists oversee pharmacies and the trade in medicines (FOPH FAQ on cannabis medicines; KAV job profile). At federal level, Swissmedic is the licensing and control authority for narcotics and supplies the official narcotics prescription forms, while the FOPH runs the MeCanna data collection (Art. 4 and 5 BetmG; Art. 47 para. 5 BetmKV; Art. 8b BetmG).
- Who supervises cultivation and manufacture?Swissmedic: cultivation, processing, manufacture and trade of cannabis for medical purposes are subject to its licensing and control system, and each cultivation also needs an individual cultivation licence (Art. 4 para. 1 and Art. 5 para. 1 BetmG; Art. 22a and 22b BetmKV). Pharmacies, including those that prepare magistral preparations, are supervised by the cantonal pharmacists (KAV, job profile).
Prescription and pharmacy
- How does the consultation work?The medical consultation takes place by video with our physician Oxana Smagulova, who reviews your medical history and current medication and documents the assessment. Whether treatment is an option is decided individually by the physician during the consultation.
- How long is a narcotics prescription valid?A narcotics prescription (Betäubungsmittelrezept) is valid for one month (Art. 47 para. 2 BetmKV); cantonal practice for longer treatment periods varies. The quantity prescribed may cover the need for at most one month of treatment, or for up to three months if the circumstances justify it (Art. 47 para. 3 BetmKV).
- How does the prescription reach the pharmacy?On paper. The white original and the pink copy of the narcotics prescription must be physically at the pharmacy when the medicine is dispensed; the original is handed or posted to the patient or, with the patient's documented consent, posted directly to a pharmacy of the patient's choice (KAV position paper 0025).
- Can a pharmacy send prescribed narcotics by post?In principle, no: the Therapeutic Products Act prohibits mail order of medicines and allows a cantonal licence only under conditions set by law (Art. 27 HMG). For products with at least 1.0 percent THC, Swissmedic lists dispensing and mail order as a cantonal matter that requires a cantonal mail-order licence (Swissmedic factsheet MU105_00_809, Appendix 2).
- Can I choose my pharmacy freely?Yes. The prescription becomes your property and you choose freely where it is filled; whoever prescribes must not influence that choice if they derive a material benefit from it (Art. 26 para. 2bis let. b and para. 3 HMG).
- Is a foreign prescription valid in Switzerland?For medical cannabis, a foreign prescription does not replace the Swiss form: medical cannabis is listed in Verzeichnis a and is prescribed in Switzerland on the official, numbered narcotics prescription (Betäubungsmittelrezept), which the cantons pass on to physicians entitled to prescribe (BetmVV-EDI, Annex 2; Art. 46 para. 2 and Art. 47 para. 5 BetmKV). Travellers may, under conditions, bring the quantity they need for at most 30 days; for longer stays, the medicines must be prescribed by a physician licensed to practise in Switzerland (Art. 41 BetmKV).
Driving, data and travel
- Is a prescription reported to the road traffic office?Not automatically: neither the narcotics prescription nor the data that physicians record for the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) go to the road traffic authority, and physicians have a right, not a duty, to report doubts about fitness to drive (Art. 15d para. 1 let. e and para. 3 SVG). Independently of any report, anyone who is unfit to drive must not drive (Art. 31 para. 2 SVG).
- Is my treatment reported to the FOPH?As a rule, yes, for treatments with cannabis medicines that have a total THC content of at least 1 percent: the treating physician records data in the FOPH's MeCanna system in pseudonymised form, under a patient code instead of your name (Art. 8b and 18f BetmG; Art. 65a BetmKV). The data serve the scientific evaluation of the law and statistics, and the legal basis applies until 31 July 2029 (Art. 8b and 18f BetmG).
Articles
- The medical route in Switzerland: the legal frameworkThe legal rules in order: the 2022 change in the law, who may prescribe, the narcotics prescription form, pharmacies, costs, cantons and our consultation.
- Preparing for your first consultation: what to have readyHow the free information call differs from the consultation, what to have ready for the video appointment, and what happens during and after it.
- Moving to Switzerland with an existing treatmentWhat you may bring on entry, why a foreign prescription does not replace the Swiss narcotics form, and what the first consultation in Switzerland involves.
- Switzerland and Germany compared: the legal situationLegal status, prescription forms and pharmacy rules in Switzerland and Germany side by side, and the status of the German amendment bill.
- The planned CanPG: what it means for patientsThe planned CanPG is a preliminary draft, not law. Where it stands in parliament and which rules apply to medical treatment today.
- What changed in Swiss narcotics law in 2022, and what still appliesSince 1 August 2022 a narcotics prescription is enough. What that means for prescriptions, pharmacies and reporting.
- Driving with a medical prescription: what Swiss law saysZero tolerance for THC, the exception for prescriptions, and why fitness to drive always comes first.
- Travelling with prescribed narcotics: Schengen and beyondThe Schengen certificate, the 30-day limit and what to check before travelling outside the Schengen area.
- Health insurance and cost approval: how it worksWhat basic and supplementary insurance cover, and what a cost-approval request involves.
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