The Government is opening up to dispensing medicinal cannabis derivatives in pharmacies for chronically ill patients.
Historic stride toward the legalization of medical cannabis. This Tuesday, the Congressional subcommittee on cannabis for therapeutic purposes approved a report with certain guidelines for the government to begin regulating it. Among them, the possibility of dispensing it in pharmacies and expanding the ailments for which it could be prescribed. Next Tuesday, June 28, the document will be submitted to the Health Commission for final approval. And barring a last-minute change of script, patients with serious illnesses will be able to access the psychotropic drug after years of uninterrupted struggle. It's only a matter of time.
He report, sponsored by the PSOE, was approved with the support of the Socialists, UP, Cs, PNV, and PDECAT, while Bildu and Esquerra abstained and PP and Vox voted against. This is the result of eight months of work by a subcommittee created ad hoc so that political groups could analyze the experiences of this initiative in other countries and hear the opinions of scientists and experts in the field.
The PSOE's initial proposal, admittedly conservative, has been softened during negotiations with Unidas Podemos and the amendments to the text from the other parliamentary groups.
One of the most notable conclusions of the commission is that it opens the door to the dispensing of medicinal cannabis in pharmacies, as demanded by the purple and potential consumers themselves. Thus, the text establishes that "the dispensing of master formulas with standardized cannabis extracts or preparations must be carried out through the health system's pharmacy network, preferably hospital pharmacies, and exploring the alternative of community pharmacies that may meet the requirements."
Secondly, the draft considers the use of cannabis flowers—popularly known as buds—"to develop experimental medicinal projects," something the Socialists had not previously considered.
On the other hand, following the agreement, the report includes cancer pain and endometriosis among the conditions for which the substance could be prescribed. Multiple sclerosis, some forms of epilepsy, nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy, endometriosis, cancer pain, and chronic non-cancer pain (including neuropathic pain) are the conditions considered, and the potential for the drug to be extended to other therapeutic indications when studies provide consistent evidence.
Finally, the document ratified by the Health Commission has eliminated the requirement that the pharmaceutical industry be the only one authorized to produce standardized extracts or preparations in oil form.
To implement these and other recommendations, the government will not need to create a law or amend an existing one, since what Congress is expected to issue next week is not a legislative text, but rather a guide with a range of proposals. The Ministry of Health will choose how to implement therapeutic cannabis in Spain, and the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS) will have six months to decide how this program fits into current regulations.
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