Medical Cannabis Law in Poland: What's Legal, What's Not, and What to Do if Stopped

Short answer: medical cannabis in Poland has been legal since 2017, provided you have a prescription and bought it from a pharmacy. Without that - narcotic, Article 62 of the Counteracting Drug Addiction Act.

The long answer covers the details: who can prescribe, can you drive, can your employer fire you, what to bring on a flight to Berlin. Below.

Medical cannabis is legal only when all three conditions are met:

Possession without a prescription - even for health reasons - falls under Article 62. Penalty: fine, restriction of liberty, or up to 3 years imprisonment (up to 10 for larger quantities).

After filling the prescription, keep the receipt and the prescription code. In case of a police stop, that's your proof of legality.

A cannabis prescription can be issued by any doctor with a Polish licence. No special permit, no certificate. Many patients don't know this - and spend months pharmacy-shopping for 'the cannabis doctor'.

In practice it's most commonly prescribed by:

At CannabisMedic our doctors specialize in cannabis medicine, among them Sebastian Górka. We issue the ePrescription during the consultation.

This is where the grey area lives. The law doesn't explicitly prohibit driving for patients on medical cannabis - but Article 178a of the Penal Code prohibits driving 'under the influence of a substance acting similarly to alcohol'. THC in a roadside test is evidence the substance was in your system.

Practical:

The prescription doesn't shield you from this. The court considers it as context but not as alibi. At the first visit the doctor asks if you drive professionally - that changes the preparation choice (e.g. evening oil, daytime CBD-dominant).

Using medical cannabis with a prescription is not grounds for dismissal. It's a medical treatment, like any other prescription. Your employer can't fire you for the fact of the therapy alone.

Nuances:

Desk work, IT, creative - generally no problems.

Within Poland - legal up to prescribed quantities. Bring the dispensing receipt. Polish airports don't block when shown the prescription.

Within the EU - Germany, Czech Republic, Netherlands recognize Polish prescriptions provided you carry a medical certificate in English (or German/Czech). Italy and Spain are more restrictive - check with the embassy before travelling.

Outside the EU - most countries treat THC possession as a crime (US outside legal states, UAE, Indonesia, Singapore, Japan). Don't risk it. Travel without the preparation, take a break on holiday.

Planning a business trip? The doctor at CannabisMedic will issue an English-language certificate confirming the treatment. Usually enough within the EU and helps in case of a check.