Cannabis – medical
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Alerts
Daily regulatory updates of legal changes in the cannabis sector, including monthly compilations
28th March 2024
- France: The Ministry of Health has published a decree establishing the specifications for cannabis-based medicines used during the experiment until the first batches of medical cannabis authorised by the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM) arrive on the market.
28th March 2024
- Ukraine: The Ministry of Health has published for public discussion the draft resolution seeking to amend the List of Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances, and Precursors, media reports. It proposes to reschedule cannabis, cannabis resin, extracts, and tinctures, as well as THC (its following isomers and their stereochemical variants) from List 1 to List 2. It also proposes to exclude from List 2 such psychotropic substances as "dronabinol", "nabilone" (a synthetic cannabinoid that mimics the effect of THC), and "nabiximols" (a standardised cannabis extract with the same content of THC and cannabidiol). In addition, it proposes to increase the permitted THC content for industrial hemp from 0.08% to 0.3%. This draft resolution was developed to implement law 3528-IX (on medical cannabis), which will enter into force on 16th August 2024. Comments and suggestions are accepted within 30 days in written or electronic form to Kyiv, str. Hrushevskyi, 7, 01601; or moz@moz.gov.ua, a.m.shemet@moz.gov.ua.
22nd March 2024
- Canada: Health Canada has published the Legislative Review of the Cannabis Act, which highlights significant progress in establishing a licensing framework for a legal industry, shifting adult consumers to the legal cannabis market, and enforcing rules on promotion, packaging and labelling. However, deficiencies in evidence have impeded a full assessment of the impacts on public health and public safety, indicating a need for sustained investment in surveillance and research. The expert panel engaged with more than 600 participants from over 250 organisations in nearly 140 sessions to better understand the realities and experiences of different communities since the implementation of the act. The expert panel provided 54 recommendations and 11 observations to improve the cannabis framework, including reducing cannabis use among young people and cannabis-related harms; revising health warning messages and packaging on cannabis products; encouraging Finance Canada to review the excise tax model and consider moving to a progressive model where higher-potency products are subject to more tax; reducing the administrative burden on federal licence holders; and allowing pharmacies to distribute cannabis products to people with medical authorisation.
20th March 2024
- US - South Dakota: Senate Bill (SB) 43 has been signed by the governor. SB 43 will make minor amendments to the state’s medical cannabis programme by requiring the Department of Health to establish certain penalties for violation of medical cannabis regulation and increasing the maximum amount that the department can charge for registration certificates.
18th March 2024
- US - New York: Democratic governor Kathy Hochul has mandated that the state’s cannabis licensing scheme be reviewed after calling it a “disaster”. The revision will be conducted by senator Jeanette Moy, commissioner of the Office of General Services, who is ready to fulfil “our promise to an equitable legal market place”, said fellow senator Jeremy Cooney. Despite the state authorities having received over 7,000 applications, they only granted authorisation to around 100 businesses, which has led to the proliferation of illegal retailers. This, in turn, triggered a lawsuit by the Coalition for Access to Regulated and Safe Cannabis (CARSC).
13th March 2024
- Portugal: The National Authority for Medicines and Health Products (Infarmed) has authorised three cannabis-based preparations for medical use, press reports. Further information on the products was not disclosed. Previously, only one cannabis-based preparation was available, which was authorised for marketing in 2021.
13th March 2024
- US - Kentucky: House Bill (HB) 829 has been passed by the House and now heads to the Senate. The bill would introduce some amendments to medical cannabis regulation, including registration and reporting requirements. HB 829 would also prohibit vaping cannabis on any form of public transport, in any public place, or in any form of public accommodation.
13th March 2024
- US - Federal: Congressmen Earl Blumenauer and Andy Harris have sent a letter to Xavier Becerra, secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Anne Milgram, chief administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) demanding answers about how cannabis research is being facilitated under the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act that was signed into law in December 2022. "It is unacceptable that researchers continue to face harmful barriers to cannabis research after Congress expressly removed obstacles to research into this substance", they wrote. The lawmakers further mentioned that more than 150 research applications for cannabis studies are pending decisions by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), while “many more researchers are excluded” due to the DEA’s onerous licensing requirements that have “not been adequately updated”.
12th March 2024
- US - Washington DC: President Joe Biden has released his fiscal year 2025 draft budget, which again includes a provision that prevents Washington DC from using its local tax dollars to establish a commercial cannabis market. Despite the legalisation of cannabis possession and home cultivation by DC voters in 2014, the ban has persisted each year as part of the final spending packages. However, proponents of cannabis law reform were hopeful the president would finally propose removing the provision – especially just after becoming the first US president to promote cannabis reform during a State of the Union address. The Biden budget plan also maintains a prohibition on the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) using federal funds to interfere with state-implemented medical cannabis programmes. In addition, it keeps formerly established federal protections for hemp businesses.
11th March 2024
- Australia: A petition urging the government to reduce the cost of medical cannabis has been launched in the Australian Parliament. The petition claims that the current price of medical cannabis means that it is not easily accessible to most patients, who also have to cover high costs for other types of treatment. The petition will be open until 13th March 2024.
11th March 2024
- Portugal: Following the dissolution of Parliament in November 2023, the Democratic Alliance – a centre-right political alliance composed of the Social Democratic Party, the People's Party and the People's Monarchy Party – won the elections held yesterday (10th March), press reports. Although we do not believe the change of government will have a radical impact on the sector, it is likely that the parties in the alliance will take a more negative view of cannabis, particularly in relation to recreational cannabis.
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