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European lawmakers have welcomed the recent United Nations (UN) decision to stop listing cannabis among the most dangerous substances, saying it would be a driving force for innovative research and a new regulatory framework in the field of medical cannabis. .
On Wednesday (December 2), the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) voted to eliminate cannabis Y cannabis resin from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.
The substances listed in that program are not only considered highly addictive and highly conducive to abuse, but also particularly harmful and of extremely limited medical or therapeutic value.
This has been one of the main reasons why the wider use of cannabis for medical purposes has been discouraged.
However, some cannabis-based medical products are already authorized in the EU. Medical cannabis is also available to some patients in EU countries on the basis of individual prescriptions.
In the past 20 years, there has been an increase in patient interest in the use of cannabinoids to treat a variety of conditions, according to the EU Center for Drug and Addiction Monitoring (EMCDDA).
These include cancer and chronic pain, depression, anxiety disorders, sleep disorders, and neurological disorders, as well as the treatment of glaucoma.
“Today’s vote was eagerly awaited, and first by the patients,” said Belgian MEP Frédérique Ries.
The liberal lawmaker hopes that this “landmark” decision will trigger a reassessment of regulatory hurdles to medical marijuana around the world and the promotion of a new wave of scientific research on the untapped potential of medical cannabis, benefiting from the patients.
He added that despite the benefits of medical cannabis in treating a variety of diseases, the knowledge gap about medical cannabis remains severe.
Likewise, Greens MEP Tilly Metz said this classification has been fueling a taboo around prescribing medical cannabis to the detriment of patients.
“Patients who use medical cannabis are not taking narcotic drugs,” he told EURACTIV, hinting that the rather outdated status of ‘narcotic’ hampered further research in the promising field of medical cannabis.
For Socialist MEP Alex Agius Saliba, harmonization at EU level of standards for medicinal cannabis products should be a priority for European legislators, as it will improve fair access for patients to cannabis-based medicines.
In February 2019, the European Parliament adopted a resolution asking the European Commission and national authorities to provide a legal definition of medical cannabis.
However, both the presidency of the German Council of the EU and the European Commission have recently confirmed that there is no European plan to address in the short term the regulatory barriers to the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes.
“We should foster a more open dialogue with medical cannabis patients to establish a sustainable and environmentally conscious medical cannabis sector in the EU,” said Saliba.
The European Medical Cannabis Association (EUMCA) said the UN decision could remove access barriers for the medical use of cannabis and allow more European patients to have access to these treatments.
“However, there should be no compromise with the quality standards of medicines cannabis treatments, and there is still much to do, ”said Sita Schubert, EUMCA Secretary General.
The UN decision came a week after the European Union Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that CBD, a lighter chemical compound extracted from hemp plants, does not appear to have any psychotropic or harmful effects. on human health, according to the current state of scientific knowledge.
Taking into account the recent ECJ decision, the European Commission has concluded that cannabidiol oil (CBD) should not be considered as a medicine and therefore can be included in the category of novel foods.
[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic]
