Polish Cannabis Clinics in the Crosshairs: What Is the Petition About?

The Ministry of Health has received a petition calling for urgent changes to the law on issuing cannabis prescriptions, and prescriptions for non-fibrous hemp products and strong opioid medications. The appeal highlights growing concerns about how cannabis clinics operate and the risks of abuse stemming from loopholes in current regulations.

How Do Cannabis Clinics Work?

The petitioner points to a serious gap in the regulations, exploited by entities dubbed “green clinics.” These businesses operate under a “quasi-business” model, focusing on mass issuance of medical cannabis prescriptions for a fee.

In many cases, cannabis prescriptions are provided without proper medical verification, minimal documentation, or sufficient justification for actual patient needs. This practice leads to what the petitioner calls “therapeutic abuse” and “indication inflation,” meaning artificial increases in reasons for prescribing the drug. As a result, the intent of the Act on Counteracting Drug Addiction is undermined.

The Ministry of Health Responds

The Ministry has acknowledged the issue and confirmed it is already taking corrective action. Deputy Director of the Department of Public Health, Kuba Sękowski, stated that current oversight mechanisms are insufficient to protect the public interest effectively.

He also noted the “dynamically growing popularity” of cannabis-based medications and the use of automated “prescription machines.” Sękowski emphasized that medicalcannabis should not be a first-line therapy but rather an alternative treatment when other methods have failed.

The First Changes: Fewer Cannabis Prescriptions

Recent regulatory amendments now require in-person medical examinations before issuing cannabis prescriptions or prescriptions for certain substances. This shift away from online or phone consultations has already produced results.

Comparing January–October 2024 with the same period in 2025, the number of prescriptions for cannabis-based medicines dropped by about 32%.

Key Change: Mandatory In-Person Examinations

Doctors must now examine patients in person before prescribing the following substances:

Fentanyl

Morphine

Oxycodone

Non-fibrous hemp herb, including extracts, tinctures, and cannabis resin

The rule does not apply to continued treatment when the prescription is issued by a family doctor.

Additionally, refill cannabis prescriptions have been restricted. A single prescription—or a set of up to three—can now only cover a 90-day supply. Doctors are also barred from issuing a new prescription if more than three months have passed since the last examination.

What’s Next: Future Regulations for Cannabis Prescriptions

The Ministry plans further measures to “rationalize access” to medical cannabis. These include expanding the reporting obligation in the Integrated System for Monitoring Medicinal Products Trade (ZSMOPL) to include pharmaceutical raw materials like cannabis.

This proposal will be part of the upcoming “Broad Amendment to the Reimbursement Act.” However, Sękowski cautioned that full regulation of the market—from cultivation to patient use—will take time and require extensive public consultation and inter-ministerial coordination.

The Ministry assured that all recommendations from the petition will be considered in future amendments to the Act on Counteracting Drug Addiction.

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(Featured image by Elsa Olofsson via Unsplash)

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First published in FaktyKonopne. A third-party contributor translated and adapted the article from the original. In case of discrepancy, the original will prevail.

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