Contents
Market Overview
Croatia legalised the use of medical cannabis on 15 October 2015, becoming one of the first countries in Southeast Europe to authorise cannabis-based treatments. However, despite this early adoption, the Croatian medical cannabis market has experienced minimal development, hindered by bureaucratic obstacles, high patient costs, and limited engagement from both regulators and healthcare professionals.
Access remains extremely limited, with treatment not covered by public health insurance, meaning patients must pay out-of-pocket costs averaging over €200 per month. This has rendered treatment financially inaccessible for most patients and discouraged physician participation.
While Tilray briefly supplied liquid capsule products in 2016, the market has since stagnated. As of 2025, no medical cannabis products or imports are commercially available, and prescription volumes remain negligible.
Regulatory Framework
The Medical Cannabis Measure (2025) replaces the restrictive 2017 framework and establishes a comprehensive regulatory systemCroatia’s legal foundation for medical cannabis is based on the Act on Combating Drug Abuse, which was amended in April 2019 to allow the domestic cultivation of medical cannabis.
Under this framework:
- Companies must obtain a special cultivation permit from the Ministry of Health.
- A separate licence for the production of medicines and active substances must be issued by the Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices (HALMED).
Despite these legal provisions, no large-scale cultivation projects have yet been initiated. The regulatory process is complex and slow, with limited clarity on technical standards, inspection requirements, and product authorisation pathways.
The 2019 amendments theoretically opened the door for a vertically integrated supply chain; however, implementation has stalled, and no domestic or foreign company has yet received full authorisation to produce or distribute medical cannabis in Croatia.
Patient Access
Who Can Prescribe?
Only medical specialists are authorised to prescribe medical cannabis in Croatia, and only for a restricted set of approved indications.
Approved Indications:
- Cancer
- AIDS (HIV-related conditions)
- Multiple sclerosis
- Epilepsy
Prescription and Dispensing:
- Prescriptions are limited to specialist physicians practising in hospitals.
- Dispensing is handled by hospital or specialised pharmacies.
- No electronic prescription system currently exists for cannabis-based medicines.
Reimbursement:
There is no public reimbursement for medical cannabis in Croatia. All treatment costs are borne directly by the patient, which significantly limits uptake.
Affordability Barrier:
Average monthly treatment costs exceed €200, placing medical cannabis beyond reach for most patients and contributing to low prescription rates and limited market engagement from healthcare providers.
Industry and Market Activity
Croatia’s medical cannabis market witnessed a brief period of commercial activity following legalisation, notably with Tilray’s export of liquid capsules in 2016. However, due to regulatory inertia and the absence of a structured supply chain, the market quickly stagnated.
As of 2025:
- There are no active imports or registered cannabis-based medicines available in pharmacies.
- No domestic cultivation licences have been fully operationalised.
- The market remains inactive, with negligible patient numbers and prescription volumes.
The lack of accessible products and absence of state reimbursement have effectively prevented Croatia’s framework from functioning in practice, despite legalisation being in place for nearly a decade.
Outlook
Croatia’s medical cannabis system remains largely dormant, constrained by high treatment costs, regulatory inefficiencies, and minimal clinical engagement.
The 2019 cultivation legalisation represented a potential turning point, but without streamlined licensing procedures, domestic investment, or import authorisations, market activation remains unlikely in the short term.
In the medium to long term, reforms aligning Croatia’s framework with more active European models—such as Germany or the Czech Republic—would be necessary to revive the sector. Until then, Croatia will remain a symbolic medical cannabis market: legal on paper but inactive in practice.
