Poland legalized medical cannabis in 2017. Since then, Polish patients have been issued cannabis produced abroad, mainly in Canada, at the expense of patients who pay for their treatment full price, without reimbursement. Several bills are currently under study to legalize the production of medical cannabis and at the same time increase the legal rate for hemp from 0.2 to 0.3%.
Meanwhile, two proposals to legalize self-cultivation of cannabis for patients and public funding of treatments were also rejected by lawmakers.
Beata Maciejewska, the MP behind one of the rejected bills, said: “The bills drafted by our team address the issue comprehensively. We believe that cannabis should be grown by anyone who meets strict requirements, not just by research institutes. Our project also includes the education of doctors in the field of treatment with cannabis preparations and the reimbursement of drugs. »
The proposal was rejected, however, in what looks more like strong conservatism in the face of opposition proposals. If the initiative had been approved, medical cannabis could have been cultivated in research institutes under the supervision of a chief pharmaceutical inspector.
The bill on increasing the level of THC in hemp has been referred to parliamentary committees.
Polish parliamentarians will soon study a project to decriminalize cannabis, the outcome of which can already be predicted. The text envisages the decriminalization of the possession of small quantities of cannabis for personal use. It would allow each adult to have 5 grams of cannabis on them. Penalties for growing cannabis for personal use would also disappear.
