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. Olha Kompaniiets — neurologist, more than 100 patient reviews. Sebastian Górka — second physician at the clinic. 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.