Health Commission approves Medical Cannabis Bill

The Health Commission, which discussed for more than 120 days in the specialty the diplomas on Medicinal Cannabis, finally gave the green light to the bills of the Left Bloc (BE) and People—Animals—Nature (PAN), on Wednesday last May 30th.

The deputies who are part of the Medical Cannabis Health Commission approved the final text of the bill that should be voted on in plenary, in the Assembly of the Republic, as early as next week, but with some reservations: no self-cultivation and prescription only when everyone conventional treatments have had no effect.

However, even if the bill is now passed in Parliament, that does not mean that medical cannabis will be immediately available. Infarmed has already said that regulation may take “a few years”, in addition to the fact that it will still be necessary to train health professionals, especially doctors, who are mostly unaware of the therapeutic properties of cannabis.

The bill discussed in the health commission meeting was approved with votes in favor of PS, BE and PSD and abstention from PCP and CDS-PP. After the meeting, Moisés Ferreira, coordinator of the Working group – Use of cannabis for medicinal purposes, told journalists that “given the way the votes were held, there is no reason why the project, in its final version, will not be approved” in the Plenary.

Self-cultivation is not covered
The authors of the proposals had already admitted to abdicating from self-cultivation: “It was a question of accessibility, but it was creating noise in the discussion and could make the project unfeasible. We withdrew it, because what was central was to legalize cannabis for medicinal purposes”, stressed Moisés Ferreira.

In the final version of the diploma there are some changes to be noted:

•  Contribution of the Military Laboratory to the “production of medicines and preparations”, suggested by the PCP;
• The cannabis-based solutions that can be used for therapeutic and medicinal purposes are determined by INFARMED;
• Cannabis can only be prescribed when “conventional treatments with authorized medicines are not producing the desired effects or are causing relevant adverse effects”;
• Medical cannabis can be dispensed in a pharmacy and not just in hospital pharmacies;
• The law will cover “cannabis substances and preparations for medicinal purposes”, such as oils with cannabinoids in their composition.

To journalists, BE clarified that it voted against the proposal that limits the prescription of cannabis-based drugs or preparations only when conventional treatments do not produce effects or if they have relevant adverse effects. Moisés Ferreira explained that his vote against was because he considered that “it is not up to the law to limit the clinical decision”.

Even so, the BE deputy confesses that “a final version that clearly states that cannabis can be used for medicinal purposes is a good version and was a necessary step”. Now, after several months of hearings and discussions, it is up to the Plenary to vote on the final text of this bill which, if approved, will be taken to Belém for promulgation by the President of the Republic.

Five months have passed since the BE and PAN bills on cannabis for medicinal purposes were brought to the Plenary for discussion in the specialty by the parties. The discussions and hearings in the specialty were the subject of a deadline extension for 60 days and only last Wednesday, the 30th of May, the meeting of the Parliamentary Health Committee scheduled voting on the replacement text relating to the bills, as well as the amendment proposals presented by the PCP and PSD Parliamentary Groups.
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Featured image: DR

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Antonio João Costa

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I am one of the directors of CannaReporter, which I founded together with Laura Ramos. I am from the unique Island of Madeira, where I currently reside. While I was in Lisbon at FCUL studying Physical Engineering, I became involved in the national hemp and cannabis scene and participated in several associations, some of which I am still a member of. I follow the global industry and especially legislative advances regarding the different uses of cannabis.

I can be contacted by email at joao.costa@cannareporter.eu

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