Europe Cannabis News Roundup

Marijuana Business News European Edition - This Weed in Cannabis from CannabisNet on Vimeo.

Portugal Approves Medical Use Cannabis

Portugal’s parliament has just approved medical cannabis in a final vote from the committee for Health. The bills were drafted by the Left Bloc (BE) and PAN (Party for People, Animals, and Nature).

The proposal was approved last Friday, and the document emphasizes the role of Infarmed, a medicine watchdog. The bill also suggests that the Military Laboratory may be responsible for overseeing the production of medical cannabis, whereas the original proposal of the BE was to allow self-cultivation.

According to the law, doctors should prescribe cannabis or medications based from it, including flowers and oils – only if other conventional treatments have resulted in adverse side effects. According to Left Bloc MP Moises Ferreira, the results of the vote was “worth the while” since the issue has been brought up in parliament many times. He added that the diploma would be an “effective therapy for many diseases, and will finally be accessible in pharmacies for many patients.”

“The speciality process and the hearings we gave proved the BE was right, so much so that parties that initially said no law was needed, such as the PCP, now also endorse this bill,” says Ferreira, saying that they won’t force the issue of self-cultivation anymore.

Cristina Rodrigues, leader of the PAN party, said that they are “happy with the adoption of the law, especially with the pluralist and democratic debate, which, unfortunately, failed to bring to fruition everything we wanted, but it is at least a step forward because there is recognition that cannabis has benefits for health of people.”

Estonia Cannabis Flag A Symbol Of Changing Perceptions Towards Cannabis In Europe

Kanepi, a tiny town in Estonia, recently said they would be changing their flag by adding a hemp leaf. Hemp has long been a traditional crop for them, and they have long been known for their production of the plant. In fact, Kanepi’s name is derived from ‘kanep’, which translates to cannabis in their local language.

Kanepi recently just became a municipality, since the local government just underwent a shuffle, resulting in the merging of various municipalities as well as voting on a new flag. To determine the new flag’s design, they conducted an online poll last January where 12,000 votes determined that hemp should be included.

While cannabis has been decriminalized in Estonia, possession of up to 7.5 grams of cannabis is still a misdemeanor. Doctors are allowed to prescribe cannabis to patients, but it’s still challenging to find a doctor who would do it.

Epileptic Child Using Cannabis Oil Prompts UK To Review Current Laws

Law enforcement authorities in the United Kingdom will start a review of the current drug policy in the country after controversies from an epileptic child whose only effective medicine was cannabis oil.

The UK has been notoriously resistant to drug policy changes and have lagged behind progress from other countries including Canada, the United States, Israel, and western Europe.

There’s déjà vu somewhere here, as this case is similar to what happened with Charlotte Figi, a young girl from the United States who had epilepsy. Figi made headlines with the medical cannabis movement for using cannabis oil to treat her condition, and she was able to effectively influence public opinion about the drug.

However, the case of 12-year-old Billy Caldwell seems to be causing British authorities to have a change of heart.

“I have now come to the conclusion that it is time to review the scheduling of cannabis,” says UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid. His announcement followed the reversal of his Home Office decision which would be in conflict with the UK drug laws in order to give an “emergency license” for Caldwell to legally use medical cannabis to treat his epilepsy.

“As a father, I know there is nothing worse than seeing your child suffer,” Javid said.

Caldwell was able to obtain his medical cannabis through the National Heath Service, but once authorities got involved, his supply was cut off. As a result, Caldwell and his mother, Charlotte, had no choice but to go abroad just to get cannabis oil.

However, when they returned to the UK on June 11th, customs authorities seized their supply. Following that incident, Billy had his first seizures in over a year. The public protested after videos of his seizure circulated the internet, which has “shown that we need to look more closely at the use of cannabis-based medicine in the healthcare sector in the UK,” said Javid.

The cannabis oil used by the Caldwells from Canada is a low-THC, high-CBD formulation made by Canadian cannabis producer Tilray. CBD has long been touted for its efficacy in treating seizures and epilepsy, as well as a wide range of other conditions.