The change in the law took place on August 1, 2022. Since then, those affected have been trying to find out how they can get a prescription and have cannabis legally prescribed. MEDCAN receives weekly email inquiries from people who want to know how to leave illegality. These are people who have been successfully using cannabis medicinally for a long time and know exactly what they need. Unfortunately, MEDCAN has not been able to help yet. It is difficult - on the one hand because there are no prescribing doctors and on the other hand because affordable cannabis medicines and cannabis flowers were not available. But that is finally changing. From now on you can have cannabis prescribed medically in various forms of consumption and purchase it in pharmacies. This is only possible in a few places, but that will now change quickly. As soon as we have more details, MEDCAN will publish everything you need to know on social media and in the newsletter.
First bright spot at the December online patient meeting
In December, a member took part whose wife was prescribed cannabis flowers by her doctor. This is the first Swiss patient from whom MEDCAN knows that her doctor has prescribed cannabis flowers for vaporization. According to our member, he had to be persistent and help the doctor with everything, but in the end they were successful. His wife now has a prescription and gets Medropharm cannabis flowers from the Dr. Noyer pharmacy in Bern.
Several Swiss producers are coming onto the market with cannabis flowers
The Association MEDCAN has been in contact with various Swiss producers for some time - including Medropharm and Cymphonia - and knows that these two companies are in the starting blocks with their licenses and will bring cannabis flowers onto the market for medical prescription. In mid-December, both producers went public with press releases and announced their “cannabis flower medicines”. This is a milestone and makes Swiss patients very happy. The company Pure has also announced that it will offer flowers for medical prescription. A lot will change in 2023.
Swiss cannabis flowers for medical prescription
Both companies have confirmed that the flowers in the pharmacies are currently imported from abroad. But that will change quickly. According to its own information, Medropharm has already started its own production and Cymphonia will start at the end of January. For cannabis patients, this means that they will be able to get domestic cannabis flowers from the pharmacy as early as 2023. This is earlier than expected. The companies waste no time. By 2023, various Swiss cannabis varieties should be available as extracts and flowers - that's what those affected have been wanting for a long time. This is a very encouraging development. There has been a medical cannabis law in Germany since 2017, but so far only one German company produces medical cannabis flowers. The remaining products are imported. The German economy does not benefit.
How do I get a recipe now?
This still requires a lot of personal initiative at the moment. If you are an experienced patient, try to find out what cannabis medications are available and which product might be effective for you. Speak to the pharmacy in advance and find out about the cannabis medications and ways of taking them. You will then speak to your treating doctor about cannabis therapy. Both the family doctor and the specialist are now allowed to prescribe cannabis and are responsible for selecting the form of consumption and the dosage. Explain to your healthcare providers how you have used cannabis so far and how you would now like to do so with legal products. If you are not taken seriously, point out that cannabis can now be legally prescribed. By changing the narcotics law, politicians confirm the medical benefits. It is now up to the doctors to continue their training accordingly. Refer your doctor to the SGCM – Swiss Society for Cannabis in Medicine. Don't be put off even if you have no experience with cannabis. Insist on your right to try this “medication option.”
And where can patients find information?
Unfortunately, there is a lack of information at the moment. The law has changed since August 1st, but doctors are not yet trained in this area. We also know of pharmacists who would like to sell cannabis medicines. But there, too, there is a lack of clarity about the procedure and prescription. Often the patient is the experienced person or you have to find out more yourself and then educate the specialists. That needs to change. It is not welcome if the person treating the patient knows more than the specialists. This has the potential for conflict and often makes access even more difficult for these people. The 100,000 people in Switzerland estimated by the BAG who are already illegally using cannabis medicinally are precisely these experienced cannabis users. You are still at a loss and don't know how to get a prescription and thereby legal access. This problem was not considered. Comprehensive training for medical professionals is important so that prescribing becomes easier, but this will take time. That's why those affected must continue to band together, help each other and continue to advocate for the concerns of cannabis patients. Unfortunately no one else will do that.
It is important that everyone continues to help
The ban on cannabis for medical use has now been lifted and the position as a patient organization is changing. MEDCAN now sees its task as collecting information and passing it on to those affected. We will list cannabis medications, pharmacies and doctors who help prescribe cannabis medications and make them available to those affected. The more information we get, the better. If you already have a recipe or would like to get one in the next few weeks, please let us know the following. This information may be of interest to another patient and may help:
