Doctors Call for Legalization of Medical Cannabis in Open Letter

Open Letter — Cannabis for Medicinal Purposes

The cannabis plant has numerous medicinal effects that can and should be put at the service of people.

Scientific research has revealed consistent and systematic data on the beneficial effects of this plant in controlling pain, regulating appetite, controlling symptoms associated with neuromuscular diseases, treating glaucoma, reducing negative side effects resulting from oncological treatments. , among many other situations.

In view of the scientific evidence and the benefits of using cannabis for medicinal purposes, many countries have already legalized the medical prescription and dispensation of this plant, substances and preparations derived therefrom, including Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, the Czech Republic, several states of the United States of America, Denmark, Argentina, Mexico or Uruguay.

In these countries, cannabis can be used by doctors as an effective and safe therapeutic tool and is available and accessible to patients. Unfortunately, this is not yet a reality in Portugal, so we consider it necessary to legalize cannabis for medicinal purposes in our country.

Legalization would allow access to cannabis, under regulated conditions and with guaranteed quality and safety, by the thousands of patients who could benefit from it. Legalization would allow for an improvement in the quality of life of these many people and for greater and better access to the most appropriate treatment for their health status.

For all these reasons, we believe that the legalization of cannabis for medicinal purposes should advance quickly and become a reality in Portugal. It is an effective and safe measure, based on scientific evidence and international experience, which will add an important option to the therapeutic arsenal available for the situations in question.

We appeal to the various political parties represented in the Assembly of the Republic to make this measure possible.

Signatories:

Adriana Curado – psicóloga no In Mouraria | Adriana Lopera – enfermeira | Afonso Moreira – médico interno de saúde pública | Alda Sousa – docente no Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar | Alexandra Camilo – psicóloga clínica | Alexandra Oliveira – psicóloga e professora universitária | Alfredo Frade – médico psiquiatra | Amândio Desport Coelho – médico dentista | Ana Alexandra – psicóloga clínica| Ana do Vale – investigadora do IBMC/i3S | Ana Matos Pires – médica psiquiatra | Ana Montrond – técnica no projeto Intendente | Ana Paula Caetano – técnica superior de Serviço Social | Ana Raquel Lira – psicóloga | André Beja – enfermeiro e investigador em políticas de saúde | André Faustino – Médico | Andreia Nisa – jurista, coordenadora de projetos na APDES |António Manuel da Silva – enfermeiro do Médicos do Mundo | António Rodrigues – médico especialista em medicina geral e familiar | Bruno Maia – médico neurologista | Carla Frazão – DICAD na ARSLVT, especialista em comportamentos aditivos e dependências | Carla Isabel Paixão – enfermeira | Carlos Poiares – advogado e professor de psicologia criminal | Cátia Bragança – psicóloga clínica | Cristina Guerreiro – médica de ginecologia e obstetrícia | Daniel Simões – psicólogo e coordenador da Rede de Rastreio Comunitária | Diana Santos – psicóloga clínica | Diana Silva – socióloga, estudante de psicologia | Diogo Gaivoto – enfermeiro | Edite Spencer – médica de família | Estela Nogueira – médica nefrologista | Eurico Figueiredo – professor catedrático de Psiquiatria e Saúde Mental |Fabrícia Silva – socióloga, mestre em Desenvolvimento e Políticas Sociais | Fátima Marras – enfermeira | Fernanda Lopes – enfermeira especialista em saúde mental e psiquiatria | Filipe Couto Mendes – médico interno de psiquiatria | Filipe Gonçalves – fisioterapeuta | Francisco Antunes – médico infeciologista | Gilberto Couto – médico gastroenterologista | Guida Ascenção – psicóloga clínica | Francisca Marques de Jesus – enfermeira do Médicos do Mundo | Frederico Gustavo Pereira – investigador | Helena Peixoto – pessoa com doença e utilizadora de canábis para fins terapêuticos | Henrique Barros – médico e presidente do Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto | Inês Correia – enfermeira no projeto Move-se | Iva Desport-Coelho – enfermeira e mestranda em psicologia clínica | Jennifer Santos – médica | Jesus Rojas – médico | Joana Barroco – enfermeira | Joana Barros – psicóloga | Joana Canedo – trabalha em advocacy e políticas públicas na APDES | Joana Coutinho – enfermeira | Joana Fernandes – enfermeira Médicos do Mundo | Joana Pereira – técnica de Redução de Riscos e Minimização de Danos | Joana Pires – estudante de enfermagem | Joana Sanches – enfermeira no In Mouraria | Joana Santos – médica | Joana Silva Coelho – psicopedagoga | Joana Vilares – assistente social | João Bettencourt Relvas – neurocientista | João Lavinha – ex-presidente do Instituto Ricardo Jorge | João Miguel Baía – enfermeiro | João Santa Maria – pessoa com VIH, utilizador de canábis para fins terapêuticos | João Semedo – médico | Jorge Espírito Santo – médico oncologista | Josefa N. S. Pandeirada – Researcher in the field of Psychology | José Almeida – internist | José Aranda da Silva – pharmacist, first president of Infarmed | José Manuel Boavida – endocrinologist | José Maria Moreira – biomedical engineer and researcher | Juliana Louceiro – Higher Education Technician | Júlio Esteves – person with epilepsy and cannabis user for therapeutic purposes | Kevin Oliveira – Psychiatry nurse | Leonor Castro Lemos – psychologist and coordinator of the street team GIRUSetúbal | Luís Anselmo – psychologist | Luís Fernandes – psychologist, university professor and researcher in the field of drugs | Luís Mendão – president of GAT | Luís Rhodes Baião – pharmacist | Luís Veríssimo – community technician at CheckpointLx |Lurdes Rodrigues – clinical psychologist | Manuel Abecassis – Internal Doctor | Maria Carmo Carvalho – psychologist, researcher and higher education teacher | Maria da Purificação dos Anjos – psychologist specializing in behavior of use and abuse of psychoactive substances | Maria Fernanda Ventura – Association of Women with Breast Pathology | Maria João Brás – person with disease and screening technique in the Move-se project | Maria João Cosme – clinical psychologist | Maria José Campos – internist | Mariana Oliveira – psychologist | Marília Costa – Social Service technician | Mário Durval – public health doctor | Mário Gonçalves – trainee psychologist | Mário Martins – public health physician | Marisa Miraldo – full professor, health economist | Marta Borges – social worker | Marta Maia – anthropologist | Miguel Correia – nurse | Miguel Rocha – Community Health Nurse CheckpointLx | Mónica Pereira Soares – researcher and psychologist | Mónica Sousa – Neuroscientist IBMC/i3S, University of Porto | Nuno Rodrigo Matias – psychologist | Patrícia António Brilhante – clinical psychologist | Paulo Anjos – social worker and president of Associação Existências | Paula Frango – psychologist | Paulo Fidalgo – doctor | Pedro Alves Andrade – paraplegic and cannabis user for medical purposes | Pedro Daniel Ferreira – psychologist and higher education teacher | Pedro La Féria – internist | Pedro Marques Catita – clinical psychologist | Pedro Neves Mota – architect, founder of the Portuguese Psychedelic Society | Raquel Guidi Rebel – superior technique of Social Education | Ricardo Fuertes – psychologist | Rita de Aires – psychologist of deviant behavior | Rita Faísca – infectious disease specialist | Rosa Freitas – technical coordinator of Espaço Intendente | Rui Coimbra – psychologist specializing in Community Psychology | Rui Machado – psychologist | Rui Moreno – director of the Neurocritical Intensive Care Unit at Hospital de S.
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Featured photo: DR