Does the law legalise the consumption of cannabis for medicinal use?

No, if cannabis is understood to mean the flowering tops (buds) of the cannabis plant. The law regulates and permits the use of THC (Delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol) in the field of pharmaceutical compounding. In short, the door is open to the use of THC and CBD in the pharmacological field.

Are pharmaceutical preparations containing THC or CBD cannabis currently available?

No, Article 4 of the decree orders the AEMPS to publish in the National Formulary the monograph to which the standardised formulations of cannabis preparations must conform.

Until the monograph is published, patients will not have effective access to the preparations.

Will a medical prescription be required?

Yes, and it can only be dispensed in relation to those diseases listed in the monograph to be published by the AEMPS.

Will they be dispensed in pharmacies?

For the time being, they may only be supplied by hospital pharmacy services (in hospitals). The preparation and dispensing of standardised cannabis preparations by pharmacies may be subject to specific regulations.

Real Decreto 903/2025, de 7 de octubre, por el que se establecen las condiciones para la elaboración y dispensación de fórmulas magistrales tipificadas de preparados estandarizados de cannabis.

Oriol Casals Madrid