After months of delay by the Spanish government, the country’s health minister has confirmed that the regulation of medical cannabis will not come into play until after elections this month.
In May, Spain’s new health minister, José María Miñones, in his first appearance before the lower house’s health committee, promised to present the long-awaited document before the end of the month.
More than six months after the report was due, progress was halted yet again when Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced he was calling a snap election, which led to the dissolution of parliament.
Speaking to local media last month, Mr Miñones suggested that while he had indeed received the report from the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) at the end of May, “he is true that with the election period, the hemicycle does not work”.
“As soon as parliamentary activity resumes, my first commitment will be to deliver this report and continue to take action.”
Mr. Bezanilla explained to Business of Cannabis that with the official dissolution of Parliament, it was no longer possible to adopt new laws, and that only a permanent committee of deputies remained for constitutional “emergencies”.
“We don’t have time to regulate cannabis in this legislature. The session period is over. The laws that were under review or in working committee have become obsolete. »
“Formally, for urgent or exceptional reasons, a government could approve what it wants by decree, such as a medical cannabis law. In this case, it would be the next parliament that would vote on whether this decree is consolidated in law or, on the contrary, whether it becomes null and void. »
Regulation in danger with the future government
As speculation swirls about the future of medical cannabis in Spain, Mr Bezanilla says it may hold more promise than the current administration.
“The reality is that this government does not believe in medical cannabis and never intended to regulate it. Why would they do it now, in a hurry, by decree, and in the midst of an election campaign? »
Asked if he thought the PP would continue to press ahead with plans to establish a medical cannabis market in Spain, given that he had voted against the proposals last year, Mr Bezanilla replied: “Yes, without a doubt”.
“This is a supranational issue. The European Union recommends it, and within the next four years medical cannabis will be approved in Spain and the majority of European countries. »
“On the other hand, conservative parties have always been at the origin of the adoption of laws in favor of patients and medical cannabis. »
“We have the governments of Santos in Colombia, of Trudeau in Canada, of Sharon in Israel, of Merkel in Germany, and a long list of countries where Uruguay and Portugal – with progressive governments – have been the exceptions. This is why we must reassure patients”.
However, this position is not shared by all, in particular by Albert Tió, president of the Federation of Self-Regulating Cannabis Associations of Catalonia (FEDCAC), also a member of the Green Light party (Luz Verde).
He declared to Business of Cannabis “I think that if the conservative parties win the elections, it will be difficult to hope for an evolution of the medical regulation project. And even if the PSOE wins, we see the new Barcelona board saying they will try to shut down as many Cannabis Social Clubs as possible, so that’s really a step backwards, and the future doesn’t look very bright. »
“That is why we are going ahead and trying to organize participation in legislative parliaments to try to propose legislative reforms from within. »
Still work to do
If the project is maintained by the new government, it is clear that even with the AEMPS report, there is still a lot of work to be done. As Mr. Bezanilla explains, “even if the government were to urgently approve a cannabis law by decree, there would be no budget for its implementation, which would practically amount to no law at all. . Patients deserve much more. »
“In Spain, we don’t have a draft law, nor a consensual text. A statement of intent was approved by an information committee and someone sold us the idea. The problem is that these intentions have not been very firm,” he continued.
“It is time to build a medical cannabis law from scratch. And we will have to do it through the established parliamentary channels: we must create a legislative committee on the subject, call on experts to provide information, propose a bill, pass this bill through the plenary assembly of Congress for approval , then by the Senate, and finally assenting to it as law and publishing it in the Official State Gazette (BOE). »
“Fortunately, the elections are approaching. Then it will be up to patients and companies to start crafting a law from scratch. Science is on our side. Medical cannabis will be regulated in the next legislature, that’s for sure.”
