Poland officially legalizes medical cannabis

It's official! Shortly after Polish lawmakers voted to legalize the medical use of cannabis On June 22, Polish President Andrzej Duda signed the bill authorizing the use of cannabis for medical purposes, according to a local newspaper.

This measure, which aimed to regulate medical cannabis in Poland, was enacted fairly quickly. In fact, last June, 440 members of parliament voted in favor of legalization, with two voting against and one abstaining. «The Senate had voted to pass the bill,» said MP Piotr Marzec-Liroy in a statement. This same MP was the author of the bill to legalize medical cannabis in February 2016.

A few days later, the country’s Health Care Committee approved the legislation. All that was left was the president’s approval, which has now been granted. The bill will take effect next October.

Who will be able to obtain medical cannabis in Poland?

In Poland, no specific conditions have been attached to the new legislation. However, it is customary for patients suffering from chronic pain, multiple sclerosis,’epilepsy and patients with symptoms of cancer (namely nausea and vomiting) will be able to obtain medical cannabis.

Doctors will thus prescribe medical cannabis, and Polish pharmacies will soon be able to sell cannabis to patients with a prescription, though patients will not be reimbursed. Cannabis will be available in the form of dried flowers, tinctures, resins, and concentrates.

However, cannabis cultivation has not been legalized, so medical cannabis will be imported into the country. «The current government has excluded domestic cultivation from the bill. It covers only cannabis imports,» said Representative Marzec-Liroy. «We have prepared a document revising this bill, which includes domestic cultivation of cannabis for therapeutic use.»

Despite the ban on personal cultivation, the lawmaker welcomes the legalization of medical cannabis. He explained that this bill is a major first step for Poland. He also hopes that the country will consider decriminalizing recreational cannabis within the next few years.

Mehdi Bautier