Primary regulator for all medicines including cannabis. Issues import authorizations, manages named-patient approvals. Norway is EEA (not EU) — accepts EU-GMP and participates in EEA regulatory network.
Import authorizations per patient/product
Named-patient approvals (Section 4-4)
GMP recognition — EEA network
Pharmacovigilance
Ministry of Health and Care Services — Policy oversight
Sets national medicinal cannabis policy. Norway maintains a conservative approach — specialist prescribing only. No broad cannabis access program.
National drug policy
Oversight of NoMA
EEA treaty obligations
Hospital Pharmacies — Primary dispensing
Cannabis medicines primarily dispensed through hospital pharmacies in Norway. Community pharmacy access is limited.
Hospital pharmacy license
Specialist prescription required
Controlled substance register
Specialist Physicians — Prescribers
Only specialist physicians (neurology, oncology, pain medicine) may prescribe cannabis medicines. Conservative prescribing culture.
Specialist qualification
Section 4-4 authorization for unlicensed products
Documented treatment failure of conventional therapies
Patients — End recipients
Limited patient access. Conservative regulatory culture. Sativex is the only licensed product; all other cannabis via named-patient authorization.