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Europe · all countries · model D — Named-patient or exceptional access

Medical cannabis in Norway

Named-patient exemption, hospital specialists for THC

A new patient cannot simply be prescribed cannabis flower in Norway: apart from the approved spray Sativex, every cannabis product needs an individual 'godkjenningsfritak' (exemption from marketing authorisation) applied for by the doctor, and products with more than 1 % THC may only be applied for by specialists working in hospitals.

The hardest fact about Norway. Only a few hundred people a year receive unregistered cannabis products through Norwegian pharmacies (about 250–280 individuals in 2024 for ATC N02BG10), and any product above 1 % THC is limited to hospital-employed specialists.

Every answer below was read in the law, the register or the official statistic itself. This country is part of the Europe layer: an English page of verified facts, no directory. Where an answer is marked as not published, no official source states it — we did not fill the gap with a guess.

The questions, answered for Norway

How access works here

The one-line answer: can a new patient start today, and through what.

D — named-patient / exceptional. Cannabis products without a Norwegian marketing authorisation are obtained per patient through a 'godkjenningsfritak' (exemption from the approval requirement) that the doctor applies for at the Direktoratet for medisinske produkter (DMP, Norwegian Medical Products Agency). Sativex is the only cannabis-based medicine with a marketing authorisation.

Helsedirektoratet (Norwegian Directorate of Health) authorises, under Forskrift om narkotika (Narcotics Regulation, FOR-2013-02-14-199) § 5, three groups of prescribers: doctors with group-A prescribing rights may prescribe approved cannabis medicines (Sativex) and unapproved cannabis products with less than 1 % THC; only specialists employed in public or private hospitals with group-A rights may prescribe unapproved products with more than 1 % THC. In every case the doctor must first apply for godkjenningsfritak from DMP before treatment begins. The DMP annual report for 2024 confirms: 'Det er kun spesialister i sykehus som kan søke om godkjenningsfritak for uregistrerte cannabisprodukter som inneholder mer enn 1 % THC'.

Source: Helsedirektoratet — Rekvirering av cannabisrelaterte legemidler og produkter · read 27 September 2026

What may be prescribed

What the law allows a doctor to write on a prescription here.

Sativex (THC/CBD oromucosal spray) is the only approved cannabis medicine. Dried flower (e.g. Bedrocan, Bediol, Bedica, Bedrolite as 'urtete') and THC/CBD oil drops are dispensed only as unregistered products under an individual exemption.

Sativex received a Norwegian marketing authorisation on 22 August 2012 (indication: MS spasticity) and is classified as a group-A (narcotic) preparation. DMP's report 'Bruk av uregistrerte legemidler i Norge 2024' (30 July 2025) lists the unregistered cannabis products actually dispensed by Norwegian pharmacies in 2020–2024: Bediol, Bedrobinol, Bedica, Bedrocan and Bedrolite herbal tea/granules (ATC N02BG10), several THC/CBD oil drops (including Adven drops) and CBD products from Glostrup Apotek in Denmark. There is no official positive list; each product is approved per application.

Source: DMP — Bruk av uregistrerte legemidler i Norge 2024 (PDF) · read 27 September 2026

Who may prescribe

Whether you need a specialist, and whether anyone has to approve it first.

Any doctor with group-A prescribing rights may prescribe Sativex or products under 1 % THC; products over 1 % THC (all standard flower) can only be applied for by specialists employed in a hospital. GPs and private clinics cannot start flower treatment.

Helsedirektoratet's authorisation under Forskrift om narkotika § 5 (delegation decision of 5 March 2013; Legemiddelloven § 22) distinguishes (1) all doctors with group-A rights: approved cannabis medicines; (2) all doctors with group-A rights: unapproved products with < 1 % THC; (3) 'spesialister ansatt i offentlig helsetjeneste eller privat sykehus' with group-A rights: unapproved products with > 1 % THC. The prescribing doctor must follow the DMP/Helsedirektoratet criteria, document in the record, obtain the exemption before starting, follow the patient closely and report suspected adverse reactions to RELIS. Page first published 23 Nov 2017, last professionally updated 4 Feb 2019.

Source: Helsedirektoratet — Rekvirering av cannabisrelaterte legemidler og produkter · read 27 September 2026

Type of prescription

The form itself: which prescription, how long it is valid, how much it covers.

Cannabis products are narcotic 'reseptgruppe A' medicines: ordinary electronic prescriptions apply, but the pharmacy can demand ID, must exercise special care, and the maximum quantity per prescription is a three-month therapeutic dose.

Under Forskrift om rekvirering og utlevering av legemidler m.m. (Regulation on prescribing and dispensing of medicines, FOR-1998-04-27-455) § 5-8 the maximum quantity for group A and B medicines is 'tilsvarende terapeutisk dose i tre måneder'. § 10-3 requires special care for group A/B, allows identification to be demanded and requires it when the customer is unknown to the pharmacy; dispensing must be withheld pending contact with the prescriber if misuse is likely. The unregistered product additionally needs the DMP exemption linked to the prescription. Specific validity rules for cannabis prescriptions beyond the general rules were not verified (Lovdata blocked automated access).

Source: Helsedirektoratet — Veileder til forskrift om rekvirering og utlevering av legemidler: krav til innhold i resepter (§ 5-8) · read 27 September 2026

Telemedicine

Whether a prescription can lawfully begin in a video call.

Not published

No official rule was found that specifically allows or forbids starting cannabis treatment by video consultation; in practice the gate is that flower above 1 % THC can only be applied for by a hospital-employed specialist, which excludes private online clinics.

Neither the Helsedirektoratet authorisation page nor the prescribing/dispensing regulation guidance opened in this session contains a telemedicine-specific rule for cannabis. The prescriber must personally take responsibility for 'faglig forsvarlighet', document criteria and follow up closely. Whether a video consultation satisfies this is not published; treat as 'not published'.

Source: Helsedirektoratet — Rekvirering av cannabisrelaterte legemidler og produkter · read 27 September 2026

Dispensing

Which pharmacy can actually hand it over.

Any Norwegian pharmacy can order and dispense the exempted product once the DMP exemption is granted; there is no separate cannabis pharmacy list. Rules for mailing group-A medicines were not verified.

DMP's statistics count patients 'som fikk utlevert' unregistered cannabis products through Norwegian pharmacies (data from Legemiddelregisteret, FHI), showing that ordinary pharmacies dispense them. The dispensing guidance (§ 10-3) imposes identity checks and heightened care for group A. No official page opened in this session states whether group-A medicines may be sent by post from online pharmacies.

Source: Helsedirektoratet — Veileder: utlevering av legemidler etter resept (§ 10-3) · read 27 September 2026

Reimbursement

Whether anyone other than you pays for it.

Not published

Sativex has been paid for through individual reimbursement ('individuell stønad på blå resept') on application by a specialist; whether it has since moved to hospital financing (H-resept) could not be confirmed. Reimbursement of flower/extract products is not published.

The Nye metoder rapid HTA of Sativex (case 19/12707, 8 Oct 2020) states that Sativex is financed 'gjennom individuell stønad på blå resept § 3' with HELFO granting support on specialist application, that about 400 patients (402 per HELFO) received individual support in 2019, and that a transfer of financing to the regional health authorities (H-resept) was proposed from 1 February 2021. The outcome of that transfer and any reimbursement rules for unregistered cannabis products were not found on an official page opened in this session.

Source: Nye metoder — Hurtig metodevurdering Sativex ved spastisitet grunnet MS (PDF, 2020) · read 27 September 2026

What it costs

What you pay, as far as anyone publishes it.

The only official price found is for Sativex: about NOK 4,300 per month (maximum pharmacy retail price incl. VAT, 2020 figure). There is no public price for exempted flower or oil products.

Nye metoder (2020): 'Legemiddelkostnaden per pasient for Sativex er ca. 4 300 kroner per måned og ca. 53 000 kroner per år (maks AUP inkl. mva.)'. Unregistered products imported under godkjenningsfritak have no regulator-published price.

Source: Nye metoder — Hurtig metodevurdering Sativex (PDF, 2020) · read 27 September 2026

Driving

The question with the worst consequences and the least reliable information online.

Norway has fixed blood-THC limits for driving (punishable from 0.004 µmol/l, roughly 1.3 ng/ml), but the fixed limits do not apply when the THC comes from a medicine taken according to a valid prescription; you can still be convicted if actually impaired.

Forskrift om faste grenser for påvirkning av andre berusende eller bedøvende middel enn alkohol m.m. (Regulation on fixed limits for impairment by substances other than alcohol, FOR-2012-01-20-85), Vedlegg I: THC straffbarhetsgrense 0.004 µM, limit equivalent to 0.5 ‰ alcohol 0.010 µM, equivalent to 1.2 ‰ 0.030 µM (whole blood). § 1: the fixed limits do not apply 'hvor overskridelsen skyldes legemiddel inntatt i henhold til gjeldende forskrivning fra lege eller tannlege' (Vegtrafikkloven § 22 third paragraph); such drivers are judged on individual impairment. Helsedirektoratet's førerkortveileder (§§ 35–37, updated 15 Aug 2023) has no cannabis-medicine-specific health requirement; it lists cannabis only among illegal intoxicants.

Source: Lovdata — Forskrift om faste grenser (FOR-2012-01-20-85) · read 27 September 2026

Travel

Taking it across a border, which is where most published advice is simply wrong.

Within Schengen, carry a Schengen certificate from your pharmacy; it covers trips of up to 30 days. General import allowances into Norway (12 months' supply from the EEA, 3 months from elsewhere) do not apply to narcotics, which have separate rules.

Helsenorge (updated 5 June 2025): 'Schengen-attest gjelder for reiser med varighet inntil 30 dager'; for medicines with narcotic active substances 'bør du ha med Schengen-attest'. General personal-import quantities: from EU/EEA 'tilsvarende 12 måneders forbruk', from non-EU/EEA 'tilsvarende 3 måneders forbruk', doping substances 30 days; 'Det er egne regler for legemidler som inneholder narkotika'. The DMP pages 'Legemidler på reise inn til Norge' and 'Schengen-attest' exist but their body text could not be retrieved in this session, so the exact narcotic quantity/day limits for non-Schengen travellers are not confirmed here.

Source: Helsenorge — Medisiner på utenlandsreise · read 27 September 2026

As a visitor or new resident

Four things nobody publishes together: getting a prescription as a non-resident, using a prescription from another EU country, bringing your own medicine in, and whether a foreign video consultation counts.

A foreign prescription for cannabis cannot be filled in Norway: pharmacies may dispense EEA prescriptions only for non-narcotic (group C) medicines with a Norwegian authorisation. Non-residents face the same hospital-specialist gate as residents; bring your own medicine with a Schengen certificate.

(1) Non-residents: no legal bar was found, but the gate is the same — any product above 1 % THC needs a hospital-employed specialist to apply to DMP for an individual exemption (Helsedirektoratet authorisation). (2) Foreign EEA prescriptions: Forskrift om rekvirering og utlevering av legemidler § 9-5 (Norway's EEA implementation of Directive 2011/24/EU Art. 11) allows dispensing of a prescription issued by an authorised EEA prescriber only for 'legemiddel i reseptgruppe C som har markedsføringstillatelse i Norge' — group A (narcotics, including Sativex and all cannabis) and unregistered products are excluded; the pharmacy may refuse if authenticity is in doubt; oral prescriptions are not accepted. (3) Bringing medicine in: Schengen certificate for up to 30 days (Helsenorge); the specific import limits for narcotics from non-Schengen countries are on DMP's 'Legemidler på reise inn til Norge' page, which could not be read in this session — not confirmed. (4) Foreign telemedicine prescriptions: follow from (2) — not dispensable for any cannabis product.

Source: Helsedirektoratet — Veileder § 9-5 Ekspedisjon av EØS-resepter · read 27 September 2026

What is changing

What is pending in parliament or at the regulator, with dates — or the statement that nothing is.

Not published

No pending change to the cannabis exemption model was found on official pages; the Helsedirektoratet authorisation dates from 2017/2019 and the DMP 2024 report restates the same rules.

The DMP annual report for 2024 (published 30 July 2025) restates that only hospital specialists may apply for products above 1 % THC and shows falling patient numbers for flower products. A 2022 regulation (FOR-2022-09-22-1630, Forskrift om rekvirering av forbudt narkotikum og bestemte legemidler til humanmedisinsk bruk) exists on Lovdata but could not be opened (robots restriction); its content relative to cannabis was not verified.

Source: DMP — Bruk av uregistrerte legemidler i Norge 2024 (PDF) · read 27 September 2026

Number of patients

How many people this actually concerns — where anyone counts.

Official DMP figures: in 2024 about 63 patients received Bedrocan flower, 101 Bedrolite (CBD-rich) flower, 19 Bediol, 14 Bedica, and a few dozen received oil drops; roughly 250–280 individuals in total received a cannabinoid product (ATC N02BG10). About 400 patients received individual reimbursement for Sativex in 2019.

DMP, 'Bruk av uregistrerte legemidler i Norge 2024' (30 July 2025), Table 3 (patients dispensed unregistered cannabis products, 2020–2024): Bedrocan urtete 84/96/96/79/63; Bedrolite (granules then urtete) 162/174/189/131/101; Bediol 37/51/40/25/19; Bedica 30/28/29/20/14; Glostrup Apotek CBD 118/136/79/75/25; several drops with 5–20 patients. Figure 2 gives the number of individuals collecting any N02BG10 product; two readings of the PDF gave 252 and 283 for 2024, so the exact total should be re-checked in the PDF. Sativex: about 400 patients on individual reimbursement in 2019 (Nye metoder 2020).

Source: DMP — Bruk av uregistrerte legemidler i Norge 2024 (PDF) · read 27 September 2026

What we can publish for Norway, and what we cannot

Four directories, four honest answers. Where an official register exists we republish it and link every entry back to the source. Where none exists, that is what the page says — a list built out of self-declarations would be worse than no list, and saying so is more useful to you than pretending.

Doctors

No list — by design

There is no state list of cannabis prescribers; the rule is categorical (hospital-employed specialists for >1 % THC). The general Helsepersonellregisteret does not identify cannabis prescribers.

Pharmacies

No list — by design

Any Norwegian pharmacy can dispense once the exemption is granted; no official register marks cannabis-dispensing pharmacies.

Products and preparations

No list — by design

There is no official positive list of cannabis products; each unregistered product is approved per patient via godkjenningsfritak. The only official product data is DMP's annual statistics table of dispensed products.

Telemedicine platforms

No list — by design

No official register of telehealth providers exists and the hospital-specialist gate makes private online prescribing of flower structurally unavailable.

Where this country's law lives

Everything above comes from these texts rather than from another portal's summary. They are listed so you can check us.

Crossing a border with this

Two European rules decide most of what a traveller asks. Directive 2011/24/EU obliges pharmacies to honour prescriptions from another Member State — but only for medicines authorised in the dispensing country, and its Article 11(6) says the rule “shall not apply to medicinal products subject to special medical prescription”, which is where narcotic prescriptions sit. A magistral cannabis preparation is neither authorised nor outside that exclusion, so a cannabis prescription from another country is, as a rule, not dispensable anywhere in Europe. For carrying your own medicine, Article 75 of the Schengen Convention lets a resident of a Schengen state travel with a certified supply for up to 30 days; outside Schengen, national import rules apply. The country-specific answer is above under “As a visitor or new resident”.

Directive 2011/24/EU, Article 11(1) and 11(6) — read on EUR-Lex on 27 September 2026: CELEX 32011L0024.

Other countries with the same model (named-patient or exceptional access)

The answers change at every border, and a prescription does not travel with you. Compare before you assume.