GPs will be able to prescribe medical cannabis next year

Patients with chronic pain will no longer have to rely solely on analgesics and opioids, they will be able to ask their GP to prescribe medicinal cannabis, the news site Novinky.cz reported citing sources at the  Ministry of Health. In response to growing pressure from patients and doctors the ministry issued a decree, that will broaden the number of doctors who can prescribe cannabis so that it can reach more patients, the news site says. The new regulation should come into force on April 1, 2025. Petr Šonka, chairman of the Association of General Practitioners of the Czech Republic, has welcomed the move. He said that in view of the fact that GPs can prescribe opiates such as morphine, which is a much stronger pain killer, it makes no sense that they are not allowed to prescribe medical cannabis.