Medical Cannabis in Austria: Dronabinol Yes, Flower No

Patients who move from Germany often expect an Austrian pharmacy to fill a flower prescription the way a German one does. It will not. Austria never followed Germany's 2017 move to make flower a prescription medicine, and the rules that decide what a doctor may write down are strict and old.

What an Austrian doctor can prescribe

Why flower is off the list

The wording has stood since September 2015 and is the reason Austria's medical cannabis market consists of cannabinoids rather than plants. Growing cannabis for medicine production is reserved for AGES, the state Agency for Health and Food Safety, or a subsidiary it controls, under §6a of the Narcotic Substances Act.

New in 2026: Exilby

Exilby is a standardized cannabis extract from the variety DKJ127 by the Munich company Vertanical, approved for chronic lower back pain with neuropathic or radicular components. Pharmazeutische Zeitung reported its approval in June 2026 with a planned market launch in Germany and Austria from September 2026. On September 4, 2026 the Austrian pharmacy trade site TARA24 reported that market entry in Austria was being prepared, and that reimbursement conditions will shape its role.

Getting a cannabinoid prescription filled

1. See your doctor
   A GP or specialist decides whether a cannabinoid medicine fits your condition and prior treatments.
2. Prescription for a permitted product
   Dronabinol as a magistral preparation, or an approved medicine such as Sativex or Epidyolex.
3. Pharmacy prepares or orders
   For dronabinol, the pharmacy compounds the preparation from the pure substance.
4. Clarify payment first
   Ask your doctor and your insurer (ÖGK, BVAEB or SVS) before starting whether the cost will be covered, since cannabinoid medicines are expensive.

Traveling to Austria with medical cannabis

The Health Ministry's guidance for travelers carrying medicines that contain narcotics sets three tiers: up to five days without extra certificates but with proof of personal need; five to 30 days with a doctor's prescription, ideally on the form in Annex X of the Narcotics Ordinance; and never more than a 30-day supply. For longer stays you need an Austrian doctor.

• Original packaging — keep medicines clearly labeled in their original packs.
• Translation — bring a certified German translation if your medical certificate is in another language.
• Flower is the risk — cannabis flower is not a medicine in Austria; carrying German medical flower is legally uncertain, so ask the ministry before travel.
• Dose documentation — the certificate should state your details, the need for treatment, the generic name and the dose.

Cannabis flowers and resin that are not a lawful medicine are narcotics in Austria, except listed hemp varieties at 0.3% THC or less; the wider rules are in our guide to cannabis law in Austria. German patients can compare the flower route in Germany's cannabis pharmacies. More on the Austria hub. This is general information, not medical advice; your doctor and pharmacist decide what is suitable.