The lack of information on medical cannabis is not the prerogative of France. As reported by Cannareporter, the Spanish Minister of Health, José María Miñones, recently declared before the Chamber of Deputies that, apart from spasticity derived from multiple sclerosis and the different types of epilepsy – pathologies treated by products from GW Pharmaceuticals – “unfortunately”, for other diseases, the information available on medical cannabis “is insufficient and we cannot recommend its use”.
The reactions of those invested in wider access to medical cannabis are one-sided. Deputy Josune Gorospe, from the Basque parliamentary group (PNV), said he considered the minister’s response a “regression”, while Carola Perez, president of the Spanish Observatory of Medical Cannabis, has already condemned these statements.
Mr. Miñones, who was appointed health minister on Monday to replace Carolina Darias, made his government debut during a plenary session. The first question he received concerned the regulation of medical cannabis in Spain, posed by PNV MP Josune Gorospe.
The latter began by warning Miñones that he was already “the third minister whom we are questioning in this legislature on the regulation of the medical-therapeutic use of cannabinoids”, and that the regulation of medical cannabis which would make it possible to know “which patients could have access to this type of product is already three months late”.
Questioning him directly, she asked, “When does the government intend to fulfill the mandate of this chamber on regulating the medical and therapeutic use of cannabinoids?” »
In response, the newly minted minister contented himself with reading his files.
Ms Gorospe was outraged and said the response left her ‘cold’, saying a government commission had spent six months working with entities, experts and representatives from other governments to gather evidence .
“How can you tell me there is no evidence?” Listen, read and pay attention to what we have here. Don’t make a fool of yourself by putting us in the position of other European countries and giving patients in the state the same opportunities as other patients elsewhere,” she said.
Once again, the Minister of Health indicated that the Medicines Agency was working on a report “which allows us to establish the most appropriate regulations to pursue two objectives: safety and effectiveness”, adding that the The agency would continue to work and analyze the scientific literature in order to establish the modality that best meets the needs of patients and the Spanish regulatory system.
