Should medical cannabis be legalised?
Who would benefit from the legalisation of medical cannabis?
Schubert says “chronic pain patients benefit from medical cannabis.”
“It could be the most disruptive change in the pharmaceutical industry for a long time. We would be able to switch patients from opiates to cannabis.”
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Should the EU adopt a common regulatory framework for medical cannabis?
Currently, some European Member States (including Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia, Slovakia, and Sweden) have completely banned medical cannabis, whereas it can be legally prescribed in others, such as Germany. Ireland and Denmark are currently running medical cannabis trial programmes to measure the impact of legalisation.
Proponents argue that medical cannabis could benefit patients with chronic pain, particularly as a substitute for opioid-based pain medication (which, as the US experience has demonstrated, can have devastating social consequences if they are overused or misused). Critics, however, worry that legalisation of marijuana for medicinal purposes could lead to full legalisation for recreational use. They also argue there are legal alternatives that, if used correctly, are effective ways to manage pain and treat patients.
What do our readers think?
We had a comment come in from Ian, who says: “At least legalise medical research into cannabis aimed at pain relief and the use of cannabis products aimed at pain relief. At least that. What’s the use of having a potential treatment, even probably less harmful than opioids, if you’re not going to use it based on prejudice?”
To get a response, we put Ian’s comment to Sita Schubert, Founder and Secretary General, European Medicinal Cannabis Association (EUMCA). What would she say?
Read the full Debating Europe interview here:
For further information, please contact:
SENSO Communications
Penny Lukats, 07775992350, penny@sensocommunications.com
For more information on the EUMCA (www.eumca.org) and membership, please contact:
Sita Schubert, General Secretary of the EUMCA on +32 233 90 281, info@eumca.org
NOTES TO EDITORS
The EUMCA is the first international non-profit association governed by the provisions of the Belgian Code des Sociétés et des Associations. Its membership is a multi-stakeholder network representing the interests of a wide range of organisations operating in the research and development, production and/or distribution of medical cannabis-based treatments.
The EUMCA’s mission is to improve the life and health outcomes of patients across Europe, by promoting the development of national government healthcare policies that advocate i) the ethical prescription of pharmaceutical-grade medicinal cannabis, and ii) advance patient access to treatments. It does this through:
- Research & Development: Promoting scientific medical research and policy to support the standardised, ethical and sustainable use of medicinal cannabis.
- Patient Access & Reimbursement: Working with national reimbursement institutions to improve patient access to medical cannabis-based treatments.
- Medical Education: Providing evidence-based knowledge and learning on medicinal cannabis to healthcare professionals and patients.
- Legal & Compliance: Consulting with governments where ongoing or urgent action is necessary.
- Regulatory & Quality: Providing members with counsel and guidance on regulatory affairs.
- Business Development: Delivering networking opportunities for members focused on building their business through M&A, licensing, partnering and novel in-market strategies.