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Medical cannabis

Innovations per 1.8.2022

Now the facilitations for medical hemp have finally come into force and a new era begins. Doctors and physicians can prescribe THC-containing hemp without having to apply for an exemption permit. In the next few years it will become clearer exactly what this now means in everyday life for sick people.

The overview page of the FOPH provides an overview of the new situation regarding the medical use of cannabis (only in German and French).
The Swiss Society for Cannabis in Medicine gives application info and therapy recommendations.

At present, physicians seem to rarely consider this new possibility. Many refuse to prescribe cannabis in general. As of May 2023

This adopted amendment to the Narcotics Act provides that cannabis medicines can be prescribed by physicians in the future without an exemption permit from the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH).

The draft amendments to the ordinances and the explanatory reports can be found on the overview page of the FOPH. Then an exciting seven-year phase will begin in which these new possibilities will be explored and evaluated. However, as long as health insurers do not pay for such cannabis medicines (this will be discussed further in the coming years), few sick people will probably be able to afford these preparations.

Development

Fall 2022: The new era in hemp in medicine
From 2023 sale of cannabis medicines [German] (schweizerbauer.ch, 20.10.2022)
Summer 2022: Hemp in medicine: Before the start of the new era
Cannabis as a medicine – a hurdle race [German] (srf.ch, 27.4.22, in reference to video report of «Puls» [see below])
Cannabis - From hippie drug to medical hype [Swissgerman] (feature in the program «Puls» from 25.4.22 on Swiss television)
The final vote took place on March 19, 2021: The National Council adopted the amendment by 136 votes to 52 with 7 abstentions, the Council of States was unanimously in favor by 44 votes to 0.
On March 8, 2021, the Council of States unanimously followed the variant of the National Council.
On January 27, 2021, the Council of States Committee approved the bill by a vote of 10 to 0 with one abstention.
On December 8, 2020, the National Council clearly approved the bill by 143 votes to 33 with 15 abstentions. All minority motions were rejected.
Winter 20/21: Deliberations on medicinal hemp have begun
In October 2020, the Committee for Social Security and Health of the National Council (SGK-N) was the first committee to discuss the facilitation of cannabis medicines and approved this amendment to the NarcA very clearly by 22:3.
The discussion about easier access for sick people to products containing THC has been going on for several years. The Federal Council has passed the dispatch on this amendment to NarcA and now the parliamentary discussions are beginning.
2020: Start of the debate on medical hemp use
Watson article, summer 2020: problems with medical consumption
2019: A second step towards the normalization of hemp as medicine

More info

An initial training in the field of medical cannabis: cannabis as medicine
We have published a detailed assessment of this bill here.
Business 20.060 on parlament.ch
Overview page from the BAG
MEDCAN - Medical Cannabis Association Switzerland
Current legal situation: THC & Law > Medicine