For patients
About medical cannabis
The plant, its active compounds, and what research has established so far.
Basic information
Hemp is an annual plant from the hemp family, which also includes hops. It is dioecious: the female plants produce the flowers, while the males produce the pollen sacs used to pollinate them. From a medical point of view the female flowers are the most interesting, because they produce the largest quantity of pharmacologically active substances: cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids and others. Around 1,500 chemically active substances have been identified in cannabis, but only a handful have been sufficiently investigated scientifically.
Cannabinoids and terpenes
The best known and most thoroughly researched cannabinoids with medicinal properties are the psychoactive THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and the non-psychoactive CBD (cannabidiol). Cannabinoids do not occur naturally anywhere other than in the female cannabis flower. In recent years scientific interest has increasingly turned to terpenes, the substances responsible for the smell and aroma of cannabis, which are also common in other plants.
More on terpenes and how processing affects them
History of medicinal use
The main difficulty with cannabis in modern medicine is that the plant was banned worldwide for many decades, and research focused almost entirely on its negative properties while the effects on human health were neglected or ignored. That began to change largely through the work of researchers in Israel, among them the world-renowned chemist from Olomouc, Lumír Hanuš. Today cannabis is studied in hundreds of research centres, and the number of countries permitting its use in conventional medicine is rising quickly.
How cannabis acts on the body
The effects of cannabis are complex and broad. Interaction with the human body takes place through the endocannabinoid system, a relatively recently discovered receptor system that influences a wide range of processes and whose purpose is to maintain balance, or homeostasis. Cannabinoids interact with this system through different mechanisms, which explains how cannabis can help patients with seemingly very different problems: from pain relief to suppression of nausea, from appetite stimulation to inflammation, spasticity, or conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
The endocannabinoid system, explained in full
Forms of use
Effects differ according to the profile of the particular variety, the individual disposition of the patient, and the method and form of use. Some varieties contain a high amount of psychoactive THC; others contain almost none but have a higher CBD content. One strain may work well for one patient in relieving pain while another suits a different patient with the same problem. Different effects should also be expected from different forms: inhaling vapour has a different onset and duration from swallowing oils or capsules.
What the research has shown
From clinical research, whose volume has grown steadily, cannabis treatment is established as helping with chronic pain, muscle spasms, skin conditions and inflammatory bowel disease. Positive effects on appetite and nausea have been demonstrated in cancer patients and in patients with HIV/AIDS, and in glaucoma among other conditions.
Chronic pain, and where cannabis fits
Who can prescribe, and to whom
In the Czech Republic, doctors prescribing cannabis must meet defined requirements, and there are restrictions on the patients for whom it may be prescribed. The rules are set by law and apply only within the country. Abroad they can be quite different, and travelling across borders with cannabis can be difficult even for registered patients.
This changed in 2025. General practitioners were previously excluded, which slowed the whole system down. Since 1 April 2025, general practitioners holding specialities 001 and 002 may prescribe medical cannabis for chronic intractable pain (diagnosis R52.1). For many patients this means the conversation can now start with their own GP.
Patients under 18 are a special case: for them, medical cannabis may be prescribed only by a doctor with specialist competence in palliative medicine, or by a doctor treating the patient in a centre for highly specialised paediatric oncology or haemato-oncology. The listed indications otherwise apply to patients from 18 years of age.
This page is general information about medical cannabis and how it is prescribed. It is not medical advice, not a recommendation to use any medicine, and not an offer to supply. Always speak to your doctor or pharmacist. Motagon cannot advise on your treatment or supply you directly.