The Samastha Lanka Indigenous Medical Association (SLIMA) says the Government must consider reviewing regulations on cannabis plantations to promote its use for medicinal purposes and for export growth.
Addressing a media briefing held in Colombo yesterday, SLIMA Advisor and former Member of the Ayurveda Medical Council Dr. Dannister Perera said the United Nations, supported by the World Health Organisation, has delisted cannabis as a dangerous drug, having identified its medicinal properties. However, in Sri Lanka, this valuable plant is shunned and growing, possession or trade is tightly restricted, posing numerous difficulties for the traditional medicinal practitioners.
Dr. Perera noted that cannabis medicine is used widely globally for the treatment of neurological disorders, and has also been seen as potentially effective in treating Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and other serious diseases.
The United Nations’ Single Convention on Drugs has delisted cannabis as a dangerous drug due to these reasons, he pointed out. Dr. Perera added that medicinal cannabis products are freely available now in many developed countries, and products such as hemp and CBD oil can be purchased freely by the public over the counter.
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