The Spanish Congress is due to meet this week to debate the legalization of medical cannabis. The country is in a situation that the United Kingdom also experienced before legalizing, both producing medical cannabis while not allowing access for its national patients.
Next Wednesday, February 16, the subcommittee of the Congressional Health and Consumer Affairs Committee will meet for the first time to discuss the possibility of finally making medical cannabis legal in Spain.
According to the Spanish Observatory of Medicinal Cannabis (OECM), the debate will be “the first stone on this path that began in June”, when the subcommittee is formed.
The debate will conclude with a report outlining the scientific evidence for the efficacy of medical cannabis, which will be sent to the government for consideration. Theoretically, the legalization of the therapeutic use of cannabis could be approved before the summer.
In the meantime, the OEMC stresses that the decision should not be delayed beyond the current legislature, with the fear that the debate could be pushed back indefinitely.
Manuel Guzman, the vice-president of the OECM, said: “We believe it is urgent that during this legislature we can have a medical regulatory program based on the evidence that already exists. »
The OECM will present the results of its two formal objectives defined when it was created:
- analyze the experiences of other governments that have regulated access to medical cannabis
- produce a report containing proposals for best practices for the control of medical cannabis in Spain
At least 300,000 patients in Spain could benefit from medical cannabis. As Manuel Guzman says, “We are talking about patients with serious and very disabling conditions that deserve humane treatment. Patients with cancer, neurological diseases, including pain in its various degrees, fibromyalgia and chronic insomnia. »
20minutos also reports the words of Carola Perez, director of the OECM: “The patient must be at the center, him and his rights, that is why it must be taken into account, because we have been in a situation of insecurity for years. . »
