Can I choose my pharmacy freely?

What the law says

Two rules in the Therapeutic Products Act protect your choice (Art. 26 para. 2bis let. b and para. 3 HMG):

• A prescription becomes the property of the person for whom it was issued. That person remains free to choose the licensed provider where it is filled, and for electronic prescriptions this choice must not be restricted by technical obstacles.
• Whoever prescribes must not influence the choice of the dispensing provider if they derive a material benefit from it.

The responsible managers of public and hospital pharmacies may obtain, store and dispense narcotics without a separate licence, and pharmacies may dispense them to the public only on a medical prescription (Art. 9 para. 1 and Art. 13 BetmG).

The paper form and your consent

Cannabis for medical purposes is listed in Verzeichnis a, the list of controlled substances subject to all control measures (BetmVV-EDI, Annex 2). Medicines with controlled substances of Verzeichnisse a and d are prescribed on an official form, the narcotics prescription or Betäubungsmittelrezept (Art. 46 para. 2 BetmKV). According to the Association of Cantonal Pharmacists (KAV), its white original and pink copy must be physically present at the pharmacy when the medicine is dispensed; digital transmission is not possible (KAV position paper 0025).

The original can be given to you or sent to you by post. Sending it to you by e-mail, messenger service or fax is not allowed (KAV position paper 0025).

According to the KAV, this consent is documented in writing and, as a rule, confirmed once a year.

Our practice and the pharmacy list

We are a medical practice, not a pharmacy. We do not store, sell or send medicines. We have no contracts with any pharmacy and receive nothing from pharmacies. The choice is yours.

Our list of pharmacies names pharmacies that state on their own website that they dispense medical cannabis preparations on prescription. It is a factual list, not a recommendation and not a ranking. You may also choose a pharmacy that is not on it. Questions about availability and price are for the pharmacy to answer.

Whether treatment is an option is decided individually by the physician during the consultation. There is no entitlement to a prescription; the physician decides on the basis of the medical assessment.

Who supervises pharmacies

Pharmacies are supervised by the cantonal pharmacists, who enforce the law on therapeutic products and narcotics (KAV, job profile). Each of our canton pages names the office responsible for medicines and narcotics in that canton. More on the authorities under who supervises prescriptions and pharmacies.