Mauritius: medical cannabis program takes shape

Since the UN reclassification of cannabis, With the advent of the cannabis plant and the recognition of its medicinal properties, Mauritius intends to legalize all or part of its medical cannabis. And if, in 2020, Mauritius' Minister of Health was already announcing that it was getting down to work, Mauritius's medical cannabis program is just beginning to take shape.

Initially, Mauritian medical cannabis was limited to CBD. The latest work of the technical committee assessing the benefits of using medical cannabis however, suggest that that it could include CBD and THC-based medical products.

The technical committee also ruled on the types of illnesses for which therapeutic cannabis can be used, who can prescribe the drug, what operating protocol to apply, how to obtain a license, how to ensure the training of pharmacists and agencies that will ensure the sale of the drug.

The committee recommends, for example, setting up a system for registering patients or cardholders. Medical cannabis products (CBD/THC) should only be used in hospitals. Another important recommendation: only licensed or trained government specialists will be authorized to prescribe cannabis-based medicines and provide treatment to patients.

A board of specialists would also be able to recommend and approve prescriptions for patients referred to the board by a private specialist. The body also recommends the development of a protocol for managing patients visiting abroad who take medical marijuana.

Now it's up to the Steering Committee set up to implement recommendations on the use of medical cannabis. It began its work a few weeks ago, under the chairmanship of Senior Chief Executive from the Ministry of Health, to make the use of medical cannabis a reality in Mauritius.