Czech General Practitioners To Start Prescribing Medical Cannabis In 2025
Starting on April 1, 2025, general practitioners (GPs) in the Czech Republic will be authorized to prescribe medical cannabis to suffering patients. The policy change is a result of a new decree from the nation’s Ministry of Health.
“The decree allows GPs to prescribe medicinal cannabis for chronic, intractable pain,” Ministry spokesperson Ondřej Jakob said according to local reporting by Prague Morning (translated from Czech to English).
Medical cannabis was first legalized in Czechia in 2013, however, only specialists can currently prescribe it resulting in roughly 8,000 patients receiving legal access.
“If GPs can prescribe opiates such as morphine, it is logical they should also be allowed to prescribe medicinal cannabis,” stated Petr Šonka, Chairman of the Association of GPs of the Czech Republic according to Prague Morning.
According to a recent study conducted by researchers from Ukraine and France, and published by the U.S. National Institute of Health, 57 countries have adopted medical cannabis legalization measures.
Per the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), nearly 30% of Czech adults have consumed cannabis at least once in their lifetimes and 11.1% report having consumed cannabis within the last year. The average rate for once-a-year consumption across Europe is 8% according to EMCDDA data.
The Czech Republic’s cabinet recently approved a plan that would permit adults in the European nation to cultivate multiple plants in their private residences and possess a personal amount of cannabis.
The plan, which would legalize the cultivation of up to three cannabis plants and set a maximum possession limit of 50 grams of cannabis, was originally introduced by the Czech Republic’s Ministry of Justice back in September 2024.
In October 2022, an expert study was commissioned by the Czech Republic Pirate Party and it found that a taxed and regulated cannabis industry would generate “tax revenue from EUR 26.5 million to EUR 73 million per year.”
