Connect with us

National

Health Commission approves Medical Cannabis Bill

Published

em

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.
_______________________________________________________________________
Featured image: DR

 

________________________________________________________________________________________

 

If you like CannaReporter, please consider supporting independent journalism by making a donation on our Patreon account.

From just €3/month!

________________________________________________________________________________________

[Disclaimer: Please note that this text was originally written in Portuguese and is translated into English and other languages ​​using an automatic translator. Some words may differ from the original and typos or errors may occur in other languages.]
Click here to comment

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertising


Watch the Documentary "Patients"

Documentary Patients Laura Ramos help us grow

Mais recentes

Events17 hours ago

EVO NXT: Next Generation Products Festival returns to Malaga and Cannabis will be in the spotlight

The 2nd edition of the Business Festival for Next Generation Products, EVO NXT, returns to Malaga this...

International6 days ago

It's official: Germany is the third country in Europe to legalize the recreational use of cannabis

The Bundesrat approved today, Friday, the bill to regulate the use of cannabis for recreational purposes in the country....

BusinessCann7 days ago

Germany: Cannabis legalization on the brink? Bundesrat votes on bill tomorrow

Most media outlets announced the legalization of cannabis in Germany as a fait accompli, but...

National7 days ago

Portugal: Medicinal cannabis on Madeira Island with autonomous licensing process from the mainland

The Autonomous Region of Madeira is taking over the licensing of activities related to medicinal cannabis in the archipelago, in accordance...

International1 weeks ago

Norway: Activists send 200g of cannabis to the Prime Minister and other politicians by post

Norwegian activists from the Alliance for Human Rights-Oriented Drug Policy (AROD) sent 10 letters with 200...

Events1 weeks ago

Spain: Exponential growth of Spannabis dictates expansion to Bilbao in September

The 20th edition of Spannabis 2024, one of the oldest and largest cannabis fairs in the world, ended yesterday with...

International1 weeks ago

Morocco enters the cannabis race with the first legal cannabis harvest

The year 2023 will go down in Morocco's history as the year in which the first legal harvest of...

Hemp2 weeks ago

USA: USDA announces investment of 10 million in hemp research

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released the “Hemp Research Needs Map” and announced a...

Interviews2 weeks ago

Jacqueline Poitras: “Doctors are painfully ignorant when it comes to cannabinoids and their effects on the human body”

Founder of 'MAMAKA- Mothers for Cannabis', an association for medical cannabis patients in Greece, Jacqueline Poitras has been a...

International2 weeks ago

Understanding the UN System & Our Role at CND67 - Midterm Review

The United Nations, in Vienna, hosts annual sessions of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND). These sessions provide opportunities for organizations without...