The European Parliament is on a mission to provide more clarity on what exactly medical cannabis is and how it can be used and sold.
On Wednesday, a resolution was passed urging the European Commission and all European Union countries to look into medical cannabis regulations and to create a concise legal definition of what constitutes a cannabis-based medication. This will provide clarity to all of Europe as what cannabis medications are approved for use and which ones haven’t been cleared by legitimate clinical trials.
Understanding European medical cannabis regulations
Countries throughout Europe have been struggling to expand into different markets due to a lack of uniform, across-the-board medical cannabis regulations. The European Parliament aims to resolve these challenges and make medical cannabis regulations easier to understand. You can read the full text here.
This resolution would allow for more extensive cannabis research
Another primary goal is for the European Commission to “address the regulatory, financial and cultural barriers that have been hindering scientific research.” Additionally, they will focus on “the importance of close cooperation and coordination with the World Health Organization.” As you may have heard, the WHO has been recommending that cannabis be rescheduled for quite some time now.
Other important facets of this resolution include: establishing a network for effective implementation of cannabis-based medications, offering proper cannabis training to medical professionals, creating equal access and sufficient availability, ensuring that all cannabis-based medications have gone through clinical trials, and establishing proper legal approval.
According to a Paris-based attorney, Marie Sanchez, this proposal is a “significant step” in the right direction. She mentioned that clarification would be “useful for lobbyists and NGOs that advocate for a harmonized legal framework for the medical use of cannabis and cannabis-derived products as a means to remind reluctant member states that they belong to the global EU system and, as such, should take relevant measures to provide equal access to patients.”
Keep in mind that because this is just a call to action and not a binding legal agreement, the changes aren’t expected to be immediate and there is no telling exactly when Europe will establish their continent-wide cannabis regulations. Check back with us for more updates and make sure to subscribe to our Weekly Newsletter for all the latest news and information relating to the cannabis industry.
