Laurence Dollimore
SPAIN is set to legalise cannabis for medicinal purposes, it has been announced.
The Ministry of Health has submitted a draft Royal Decree for public consultation, outlining the upcoming legislation.
The new law will grant access to cannabis-based treatments for patients who have found standard medicines ineffective.
The draft law says ‘scientific evidence has shown a variable degree of benefit of cannabis and its extracts’.
It said symptoms of certain conditions can be helped by the plant, including multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy and chronic pain.
Although there are authorised medicines for some of these conditions, the law said cannabis should be available as a personalised alternative when conventional methods fail.
The regulation covers the prescription, preparation, dispensing and use of the cannabis formulas, with strict protocols set to ensure the medicine’s quality.
