Slovenia: the government authorizes medical cannabis

Slovenia has authorized the use of medical cannabis Last March, a piece of news that had slipped under our radar until now. To legalize its medical use, the government reclassified cannabis, moving it from the first group of drugs—which includes substances recognized as particularly dangerous—to the second group, which includes substances with medical benefits.

During the’International Cannabis Business Conference (ICBC) in Berlin last April, The participants at the Berlin Conference had raised several questions regarding Europe’s openness to cannabis, and in particular regarding the introduction of hemp into Slovenia.

The Slovenia was able to partially process his patients with medical cannabis, particularly in the fields of neurology and pediatrics. Positive effects have been observed in the treatment of cancer patients or on stimulating appetite and promoting weight gain in patients with AIDS. Doctors had prescribed medical cannabis to patients  who did not respond to more conventional medications.

«Today, Slovenian pharmacies can purchase products from abroad—from Uruguay, the Czech Republic, Canada, or elsewhere. Doctors are no longer limited to exceptional cases when prescribing medical cannabis,» emphasizes Dr. Milan Krek of the National Institute of Public Health in Slovenia.

The new regulation imposed by the Slovenian government does not call for any changes regarding the already authorized production of hemp, provided that its THC content is less than 0.2%. This development should, however, soon be more clearly regulated through the creation of a regulatory body. ad hoc under the auspices of the Slovenian Ministry of Health.

Mehdi Bautier