Luxembourg: medical cannabis law almost ready

The law legalizing the medical use of cannabis in Luxembourg is almost finite, The Ministry of Health has been leading parliamentary discussions for the past 10 days.

The country announced last October its intention to legalize cannabis for therapeutic purposes. The law will allow doctors to prescribe cannabis in cases where traditional medicines don't work.

The source text reserved the right to prescribe medical cannabis to specialized doctors. The final text gives this possibility to all doctors, provided they have undergone special training.

Cannabis will only be distributed by pharmacies attached to the Grand Duchy's 4 hospitals, despite calls from some MPs to give access to a few local or regional pharmacies. Cannabis will be available in capsule, drop or oil form.

After two years of legalization, an assessment will be made to calculate the number of beneficiaries, consumption indicators and the main illnesses for which it has been prescribed, with the possibility of opening it up to more pathologies.

The illnesses that can be treated with cannabis are defined in advance and currently include cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and chronic or painful illnesses.

Cannabis treatments will be imported from Canada.

Luxembourg will thus join the long list of countries in Europe that authorize medical cannabis.