Cannabis on prescription

Cannabis in the future on prescription: Federal Government plans to change the law in order to facilitate the supply of cannabis medicine to seriously ill people.

(16.08.2010) According to statements by the FDP, the federal government has agreed to free cannabis for the seriously ill on prescription in the future. For this a change of the narcotics law would have to be carried out, as it was called further.

In the future, there will be cannabis on prescription. However, not to get intoxicated legally, but as medicine for seriously ill people. A change in the law on narcotics should give pharmaceutical companies the opportunity to manufacture cannabis medicines in Germany as well. That's what the black-yellow coalition agreed on Monday.

So far, chronically ill patients had no access to the drugs with the active ingredient THC. Far too narrow were the provisions to even get drugs with cannabis in pharmacies. The way through authorities and offices, doctors and health insurance companies was usually so cumbersome and complicated, so that just 40 patients in Germany receive cannabis on prescription from pharmacies.

The cannabis, known as intoxicant, is actually used to make marijuana and hashish. However, the active ingredients contained can also be used, for example, to relieve spasticity in multiple sclerosis, as the action group "Cannabis as medicine" announced. Just two years ago, the Union, the SPD and the FDP had opposed the relaxation of the narcotic laws. Far too deeply anchored was the belief that cannabis could do much harm to sick people rather than help them. However, initiatives such as "cannabis as medicine" drew attention to the medical benefits of many patients and cited numerous scientific studies as reference. Doctors and scientists also drew attention to the positive qualities of the THC plant, so that the German government is now rethinking. According to a recent survey, 75 percent of the German population speak for a release in the medical sense.

Likewise, the care of dying people is to be reformed. In order to alleviate the pain in the last hours before death and to avoid supply failures, homes and hospices may in future invest emergency supplies of narcotics. The health policy spokeswoman of the FDP Bundestag faction, Ulrike Flach: "So are very seriously ill people at any time pain-relieving funds available." The legislative changes are expected to come into force next year. First, a vote must take place in the Bundestag. However, it can be assumed that the opposition parties will also vote in favor of the bill. (Sb)

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