🇨🇭 Medical cannabis in Switzerland

A — open prescription market since 1 August 2022: any doctor may prescribe cannabis medicines (magistral preparations including flower, dronabinol, Sativex) on a Swiss narcotic prescription without a federal exemption permit; basic health insurance pays only in exceptional cases.

BAG (Bundesamt für Gesundheit, Federal Office of Public Health): 'Das Verbot von Cannabis zu medizinischen Zwecken wurde jedoch im August 2022 aufgehoben' by the revision of the Betäubungsmittelgesetz (BetmG, Narcotics Act) in force 1 August 2022; 'Eine Ausnahmebewilligung des Bundesamtes für Gesundheit für die ärztliche Verschreibung von Cannabisarzneimitteln wird nicht mehr benötigt.' Sativex is the only cannabis medicine with a Swissmedic marketing authorisation; other products are magistral preparations. Prescriptions use the official Betäubungsmittelrezept form (Art. 47 Abs. 5 BetmKV; Swissmedic prints the blocks and cantonal authorities distribute them to doctors). Physicians must report therapy data to the BAG during the first two years of each treatment; 'Die Datenerhebung ist bis ins Jahr 2029 beschränkt.' Reimbursement by compulsory insurance only in individual cases (insufficient evidence for general coverage).

Source: BAG (Federal Office of Public Health) — Medizinische Anwendung von Cannabis (medical use of cannabis) · read 27 September 2026

Magistralrezepturen — pharmacy-compounded preparations (full extracts, oils, and in some cantons flower as well) — plus the two approved medicines Sativex and Epidyolex.

Cannabis for medical purposes is listed in annex a of the BetmVV-EDI; from 1.0 % total THC a Betäubungsmittelrezept is required.

Source: BetmG, Art. 8 (Fedlex) · read 4 September 2026

Any doctor holding a federal licence to practise — since 1 August 2022 without an exceptional licence from the BAG.

Changed by the federal act of 19 March 2021 (AS 2022 385): Art. 8 Abs. 1 lit. d BetmG exempts medical use from the ban. An exceptional licence is now needed only for research.

A Betäubungsmittelrezept, valid for one month, issued for at most one month's supply — up to three months where justified.

Art. 46 and 47 BetmKV.

Legally blurred: Art. 46 Abs. 1 BetmKV requires the prescribing doctor to have examined the patient in person. No official interpretation for video consultations exists.

We put it that plainly because the Swiss search results are dominated by platforms selling exactly this model.

Through pharmacies holding a narcotics authorisation; most products are made up as a Magistralrezeptur in the pharmacy itself.

Which establishments hold a narcotics (BTM) authorisation is published by Swissmedic as open government data — the most reliable pharmacy source of the three countries.

Source: Swissmedic, Liste der Betriebsstandorte mit BTM-Berechtigung · read 4 September 2026

Not a mandatory benefit. Reimbursement only case by case under Art. 71a–71d KVV, with the health insurer's prior confirmation of cost coverage.

A parliamentary document from 2026 speaks of around 70 people whose costs are covered, out of some 10,000 affected; the Federal Council rejected postulate 26.3958 on 2 September 2026.

Mostly paid for by the patient, and the price differences are extreme — a factor of up to 34 has been documented for the same product.

Zero tolerance — with an explicit exception for patients.

Art. 2 Abs. 2 VRV treats inability to drive as proven on the mere detection of THC. Art. 2 Abs. 2ter VRV exempts anyone who can show that they are taking the substance as medically prescribed. The detection limit is 1.5 µg/L (Art. 34 lit. a VSKV-ASTRA); that does not replace an assessment of fitness to drive in the individual case.

Source: Verkehrsregelnverordnung (VRV), Art. 2 (Fedlex) · read 4 September 2026

A certificate under Article 75 SDÜ — in Switzerland the pharmacy authenticates it and a copy goes to the canton.

Art. 41–43 BetmKV, the form set out in annex 2, one certificate per preparation. Note: the ordinance says 30 days, the Swissmedic page says three months — we have not been able to resolve the discrepancy.

A visitor can be prescribed cannabis by a Swiss doctor (federal law sets no residency test), but foreign prescriptions are not dispensable because Swiss narcotic prescriptions must be on the official Swiss form. Bringing your own medical cannabis in is allowed for a treatment period of up to 30 days with the Schengen Article 75 form (from Schengen) or the Swissmedic form for other countries; no customs declaration is needed.

1. Non-residents: federal law (BetmG/BetmKV) attaches the prescription to the doctor's Swiss authorisation and the official Betäubungsmittelrezept, not to the patient's residence; nothing official addresses non-resident patients ('not published'). 2. Foreign prescriptions: Switzerland is not bound by Directive 2011/24/EU; recognition of foreign prescriptions is governed by cantonal practice under the Heilmittelgesetz, and for narcotics the prescription must be on the official form under Art. 47 BetmKV ('Swissmedic liefert keine Betäubungsmittelblöcke direkt an Ärztinnen oder Ärzte aus' — blocks go to cantonal authorities for Swiss-licensed doctors), so a foreign cannabis prescription cannot be filled in a Swiss pharmacy; the BetmKV text itself could not be opened (Fedlex JavaScript). 3. Bringing medicine in — Swissmedic 'Reisen mit betäubungsmittelhaltigen Arzneimitteln', FAQ 'Ich beziehe medizinisches Cannabis. Kann ich damit in die Schweiz einreisen?': 'Sie benötigen entweder ein Schengenformular, falls Sie aus dem Schengenraum einreisen oder ein Formular für andere Länder, wenn Sie von ausserhalb des Schengenraums einreisen'; 'Die Mitnahme von Betäubungsmitteln … welche eine Behandlungsdauer von 30 Tagen übersteigt, ist nicht erlaubt'; at the border you 'können der grünen Linie folgen' without special declaration. Swiss residents leaving obtain the Art. 75 certificate via the cantonal authority. 4. Foreign telemedicine prescriptions: not dispensable (see 2).

Source: Swissmedic — Reisen mit betäubungsmittelhaltigen Arzneimitteln (travelling with narcotic medicines; medical cannabis FAQ) · read 27 September 2026

No pending change to the medical rules was found. The federal monitoring of cannabis prescriptions (doctors' reporting duty) runs until 2029 and will inform a review; parallel work on regulating non-medical cannabis is separate.

BAG: doctors report therapy data for the first two years of each treatment and 'Die Datenerhebung ist bis ins Jahr 2029 beschränkt', the aim being to track prescription development and gather evidence on effectiveness; the reimbursement position (exceptional cases only, Art. 71a–71d KVV route) is unchanged. The BAG page links to the pilot trials for non-medical cannabis and to the Bundesrat report on Motion Kessler 14.4164 (Cannabis für Schwerkranke). A parliamentary draft for a general Cannabis law (non-medical use) is being prepared separately and is not on the medical page; its status could not be checked without web search. Swissmedic pages on narcotics show no announced change to the Betäubungsmittelrezept or travel rules.

Source: BAG (Federal Office of Public Health) — Medizinische Anwendung von Cannabis (monitoring until 2029) · read 27 September 2026

Before the reform, around 3,000 exceptional licences a year. In the first year of the reporting duty, 724 reports came in from 384 doctors — the BAG itself calls the reporting behaviour selective.