The vacations are kicking off in earnest, and many people are planning vacations outside of Poland. Some patients are wondering how to transport medical marijuana and whether it is even legal. Transporting marijuana as medicine is possible, but not always. Is it possible to transport medical marijuana and does it require any paperwork?
Transporting medical marijuana is a process that requires preparation, both formal and legal. First of all, it requires knowledge of the laws to the country where you plan to vacation and considerable advance notice.
There are countries whose regulations do not allow the transportation of marijuana including the medical one and include, for example: France, Egypt, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates and several others. The consequences can be severe penalties, including imprisonment. However, it is safe to transport medical marijuana To e.g.: Germany, Italy, Croatia, Czech Republic and others.
To find out if you can apply to export medical marijuana to a specific travel destination, you can contact with the embassy of the destination country in Poland or find out the rules for transporting medicines outside of the Republic of Poland at Chief Pharmaceutical Inspectorate.
Remember that it is equally important to Respecting the law on the ground, e.g., permitted places for its consumption.
How to transport medical marijuana abroad? Important information
Many countries allow the transport of drugs containing marijuana with THC, including: dried, oils, suppositories, sprays, but requires certain conditions and documentation. They may be required:
- Medical records, including a valid prescription, as well as documents signed by a doctor that authorize you to use medical marijuana and maintain the therapeutic process. In the EU, a certificate authorizing the export of the drug for your own medicinal needs by the Provincial Pharmaceutical Inspectorate is required. In countries outside the EU, an analogous certificate issued by the Main Pharmaceutical Inspectorate is required. It is also advisable that these documents be translated into the language of the country of destination or into English.
- Airport notification. If you are flying by plane, contact the carrier and inquire about procedures for that particular airline, for example.
- Packaging. Original with information about the patient to whom it applies.
- Each of these procedures applies to each drug, even if it's another package of the same formulation.
- Quantity: The maximum amount of medical marijuana that can be imported is the amount based on the dosage indicated on the prescription, multiplied by the number of days of travel, departure or stay abroad.
- Printed prescription on the drug
- Printed name invoice confirming the purchase of the drug
When the process is too complicated or you no longer have time
Certainly do not try to transport marijuana illegally. You will not escape punishment, even if you have a whole bunch of documents proving the need for cannabis treatment.
If you can't take advantage of the procedures for importing medical marijuana, you'll have to stop your therapy for the duration of your trip or simply forgo it. The alternative is to use a local doctor and get a prescription in your destination country.
