The legalization of medical cannabis has finally been given the green light in Spain by Congress. The Commission on Health and Consumption of Congress voted on Monday, June 27, to approve the legalization of medical cannabis for therapeutic use in patients in Spain. It will subsequently be considered as one more medicinal solution to alleviate the pain of chronic patients or the effects of treatment of certain pathologies.
A spokesperson for the Spanish Observatory of Medicinal Cannabis (OECM) said they expect, being optimistic, that “in six months, the first patient will receive a first medical cannabis preparation.” That is the same time that the report grants to the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) to fit its implementation into the current legislation.
Monday’s decision will not have to be voted on in the plenary session of Congress. It is the result of eight months of work by a subcommittee created ad hoc for political groups to analyze the experiences of this initiative in other countries and listen to the opinions of scientists and experts in the field.
Manuel Guzman, a professor of biochemistry and leader of the OECM, said: “We are very happy. After so many years of battle, Canada was the first country to launch a dispensing program two decades ago. In recent years, other countries around us have been joining. Finally, in 2022, patients will be able to have access to medicinal cannabis preparations, in a safe way both from a legal and health point of view.”
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