Medical cannabis is far from being a new thing in Spain. However, actual regulated medical cannabis access for Spain’s suffering patients has long lagged behind the need for safe access to medical cannabis products. Progress has been made in recent years, albeit slow progress, as evidenced by a recent announcement of the authorization of certain cannabis products for specific pathologies.

“Medicinal cannabis will be administered orally in Spain, in doses determined by the doctor for each patient, which may not exceed 32 milligrams per day under any circumstances, and initially for only four indications: chronic pain, spasticity due to multiple sclerosis, severe forms of epilepsy, and nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy. This is established in the monograph published by the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) of the Ministry of Health.” reported Público in its local coverage (translated from Spanish to English).

“Due to limited data for establishing a dosage recommendation, the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) has determined that doses should be individualized for each patient , recommending starting treatment with the lowest possible dose and gradually increasing it until the optimal amount is reached. However, in no case should the maximum daily dose exceed 32.4 milligrams of THC or 25 milligrams of CBD.” the outlet also wrote.

Last October, Spain’s Council of Ministers announced that a Royal Decree regulating the medicinal use of cannabis in standardized preparations was approved. The announcement came after years of medical cannabis advocates pushing for policy and regulatory modernizations in the European country.

“The standard responds to the need to offer a therapeutic alternative in cases where conventional treatments are ineffective, especially in patients with chronic, refractory pain, severe epilepsy, or spasticity due to multiple sclerosis.” Spain’s Ministry of Health stated in a news release at the time (translated from Spanish to English). “Magistral formulas with standardized cannabis preparations may only be prescribed by specialist physicians and must be prepared and dispensed exclusively in hospital pharmacy services under individualized clinical supervision.”

“Standardized preparations must be registered with the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS), guaranteeing their quality, safety, and proper dosage.” the Ministry also wrote. “The decree also creates a public registry, managed by the AEMPS (Spanish Agency for the Promotion of Health), in which all standardized cannabis preparations used to create master formulas must be registered. These products must have a defined composition of THC and/or CBD, comply with strict manufacturing, traceability, and quality requirements, and are subject to additional inspection when they contain more than 0.2% THC.”

According to the European Union Drugs Agency’s (EUDA) 2025 report, 43.7% of adults in Spain report having consumed cannabis at least once in their lifetime, placing Spain only behind France (50.4%) for reported lifetime use. An estimated 12.6% of adults in Spain report having consumed cannabis within the last year, and 10.5% report having consumed cannabis within the last month, according to the EUDA.