To move patients away from the black market, Spain’s Subcommittee on medicinal cannabis in the Congress of Deputies has approved the bill aiming to regulate the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes.
Currently, it is illegal to sell cannabis in Spain. However, personal consumption on private residences is permitted. This means Spanish citizens that consume cannabis for medical purposes are often using the black market to access their medicine.
Although, cannabis-based medical products were not legal in the country, two cannabis medicines have been available to patients in Spain – GW Pharma’s oil products, Epidiolex and Sativex.
The new bill aims to give patients in Spain access to medical cannabis through hospitals and health centre pharmacies via medical specialists for a number of different conditions. Some of these conditions include multiple sclerosis-related pain, epilepsy, and symptoms related to chemotherapy and cancer pain.
Read more: MoU to establish medical cannabis production facility in Spain
According to local reports, the proposal has been supported by political parties including the socialist PSOE, United We Can, and Ciudadanos, PNV and PDECAT. The Canary reported that ERC and Bildu abstained, and the conservative PP and Vox voted against the proposals.
The non-profit organisation, The Spanish Observatory for Medical Cannabis (OECM), was established in the country in 2015 to “promote, coordinate and carry out activities and projects aimed at learning about the medicinal properties and uses of cannabis and its derivatives”.
The OECM stated: “From the OECM we are pleased with the agreement reached based on the report of conclusions of the medical cannabis subcommittee approved today by a majority thanks to UP, PSOE, Cs, PNV and PDeCAT. With the abstentions of ERC and Bildu and the votes against of PP and Vox.
“We started this journey in 2015 and after seven years we have achieved it. It has been an honour to fight for the rights of at least more than half a million patients who use medical cannabis. From the OECM we want to thank all the people who have worked to bring it forward, it is a giant first step for all of us.” [Translated from Google]
The proposed bill has been given the green light in parliament, however, it must still be voted on next week. If the bill wins the vote then the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Products (AEMPS) will begin carrying out work on finalising regulations within the next six months.
The bill initially excluded cannabis flower, however, The Canary reports that the parties have included an amendment at the request of patients to use flower to develop “medicinal experimental projects” as “this way of using cannabis by inhalation provides faster effects for users than simply eating or drinking infusions”.
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