Luxembourg will use cannabis coming from Canada

Photo: Michel Thiel

Cannabis for medical use has been made legal in Luxembourg.

The government unanimously passed the draft law to decriminalise the use of cannabis for patients suffering from diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis or neurodegenerative diseases.

Under the draft law, all general practitioners who have undertaken specific training will be able to prescribe the drug.

This came as a result of an opinion submitted by the Council of State which overturned the initial draft of the text allowing only specialised medical professionals such as oncologists or neurologists.

Luxembourg will use cannabis coming from Canada and will only be available on prescription from a hospital pharmacy. Within the European Union only Austria and Germany have a cannabis agency.

The draft law states the law will be reviewed in two years to look at the number of patients who have benefited from the new measures and to consider whether the list of diseases should be expanded.

During parliamentary discussions a number of MPs suggested additional diseases, including HIV, should be included.

Health minister Lydia Mutsch described the approval of the law as an "important step in the context of our efforts to reduce the pain and suffering of certain patients where standard treatment does not allow it". </s> While the original draft of the Luxembourg medical pot law allowed only specialists to prescribe treatment, the final version permits accredited general practitioners to offer patients cannabis for chronic pain.

"I am pleased that the House has agreed with the bill to legalize access to cannabis for medical purposes," Mutsch noted, according to the Luxembourg Times.

"The medical use of cannabis is an important step in our efforts to reduce the pain and suffering of some patients, where usual treatments do not allow it," she observed.

The pain-relief substance will be imported from Canada in the form of oils and capsules, and will be available only by prescription from pharmacies located within a hospital, cited by the Luxembourg Times.

As the new law will certify only four hospitals within the 98.6-square-mile nation to provide the treatment, some legislators have criticised the legislation for being too restrictive, pointing out that rural residents without access to delivery resources may have difficulty receiving the medicine.

The new rules are also noted as potentially benefiting only those patients in the later stages of a terminal illness, and does not provide for the many other kinds of relief that medical cannabis has been clinically shown to offer.

Physician and current member of Luxembourg's Chamber of Deputies Dr. Jean Colombera, noted that he was given "the impression it will only be used for people whose illnesses are too advanced. […] For me it should be used well before they reach this stage," cited by Delano magazine.

"Cannabis medicines can be used to treat a far larger number of illnesses […] for example if you've problems sleeping or depression or pain," he added.

Other EU countries that have shifted to using medical cannabis include Portugal, which approved the substance this month; Greece, which did so in March, and Germany, which in early 2017 legalized pain-relief treatments using cannabis. </s> MOSCOW: New Zealand's parliament on Tuesday passed a bill authorizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes for chronically and terminally ill people, local media reported.

The New Zealand Herald newspaper reported that the bill, which gives terminally ill people legal defense for using cannabis products, passed its third reading with the support of all coalition partners except the National Party of New Zealand, which slammed the initiative to decriminalize cannabis.

According to the previous version of the bill, the medical use of marijuana could be authorized only for people with a year or less left to live.

During the bill's second reading on November 29, New Zealand Health Minister David Clark made several adjustments, expanding the legal defence to all people needing palliative relief, the newspaper noted.

According to the newspaper, cannabis-based drugs will be available by prescription, and the law will come into force as soon as it receives royal assent. </s> New Zealand’s Government has passed a law that will make medical marijuana widely available for thousands of patients over time.

The legislation will also allow terminally ill patients to begin smoking illegal pot immediately without facing the possibility of prosecution.

The measures come ahead of a planned national referendum on recreational marijuana use.

The Government has pledged to hold the referendum some time over the next two years, but has not yet set a date or finalised the wording.

The new law allows patients much broader access to medical marijuana, which was previously highly restricted.

But most patients will have to wait a year until a new set of regulations, licensing rules and quality standards are put in place.

The law will also allow medical marijuana products to be manufactured in New Zealand for both domestic and overseas markets.

Health Minister David Clark said in a statement the new law would help ease suffering.

“This will be particularly welcome as another option for people who live with chronic pain,” he said.

He said the 25,000 people who are in palliative care with terminal illnesses did not have time to wait for the new scheme, and so the law provided a legal defence for them to use illegal marijuana. </s> Medical cannabis products can now be legally prescribed to patients for the first time.

The new law comes into force today, Thursday, November 1.

It means those suffering from epilepsy, nausea and chronic pain - due to chemotherapy - could be given the option of getting the drug from an NHS doctor.

The government has said that the prescriptions will be the responsibility of specialist doctors, and not GPs.

A statement on the government website explains further: "These doctors focus on one field of medicine such as neurology or paediatrics and are listed on the General Medical Council’s specialist register.

"They must make decisions on prescribing cannabis-based products for medicinal use on a case-by-case basis, and only when the patient has an unmet special clinical need that cannot be met by licensed products."

The Home Office has said that the cannabis-based treatments must have be regulated and produced for medical purposes only.

Experts say it is likely that products will include pills, capsules and oils.

The law change follows several high-profile cases, including those of young epilepsy sufferers Alfie Dingley and Billy Caldwell.

Billy was given the first prescription by the NHS for medicinal cannabis oil in July this year.

His mother credited the oil for keeping her son's seizures at bay.

Alfie's use of cannabis treatment was also said to reduce his clusters of seizures, going from having them once every 27 days to once every 7-10 days.

Who can receive the treatments?

The NHS has released guidelines on the medical use of cannabis-based products.

It outlines that it may only be prescribed where there is a "clinical need which cannot be met by a licensed medicine and where established treatment options have been exhausted".

Treatments may be prescribed in cases of:
• Adults with vomiting or nausea caused by chemotherapy treatment

The recreational use of cannabis remains illegal.

The penalties for unauthorised supply and possession also remains unchanged. </s> New Zealand passes law allowing broader access to medical marijuana, but most patients will have to wait

New Zealand's Government has passed a law that will make medical marijuana widely available for thousands of patients over time.

The legislation will also allow terminally ill patients to begin smoking illegal pot immediately without facing the possibility of prosecution.

The measures come ahead of a planned national referendum on recreational marijuana use.

The Government has pledged to hold the referendum some time over the next two years, but has not yet set a date or finalised the wording.

The new law allows patients much broader access to medical marijuana, which was previously highly restricted.

But most patients will have to wait a year until a new set of regulations, licensing rules and quality standards are put in place.

The law will also allow medical marijuana products to be manufactured in New Zealand for both domestic and overseas markets.

Health Minister David Clark said in a statement the new law would help ease suffering.

"This will be particularly welcome as another option for people who live with chronic pain," he said.

He said the 25,000 people who are in palliative care with terminal illnesses did not have time to wait for the new scheme, and so the law provided a legal defence for them to use illegal marijuana.

But the Opposition's health spokesman, Shane Reti, said the new law was "lazy and dangerous" because it does not provide details of the planned medical marijuana scheme, and would also allow some people to start smoking pot in public.

"We support medicinal cannabis but strongly oppose the smoking of loose-leaf cannabis in public," Dr Reti said.

Dr Reti said the new law amounted to decriminalising marijuana by stealth. </s> • New Zealand made marijuana legal for terminally ill patients with a new law passed on Tuesday.
• The Health Minister David Clark says it will give 25,000 people relief from pain in their final days.
• The government has promised a referendum on full legalization by 2020, and one study suggests 2/3 people are in favour of some kind of legalization.
• Many signs point to New Zealand joining Canada and Venezuela, the two countries which have fully legalized the drug already.

New Zealand passed a law on Tuesday which will relax marijuana laws, and allow terminally ill patients to use the drug. The government has promised to follow the move with a full referendum on making recreational weed legal.

The new law, the Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis) Amendment Bill, means that some 25,000 terminally ill or ill patients can use marijuana products to alleviate pain without fear of arrest, Health Minister David Clark said.

The law also means that marijuana products can be manufactured in New Zealand for both domestic and overseas markets, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

The new law increases New Zealand's chances of being the third country in the world to legalize recreational marijuana, after Canada and Venezuela, as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has promised a referendum on the issue before 2020.

Read more: How smoking cannabis can affect your sleep for better or worse

If the vote goes ahead, polls suggest it could result in legalization. Support is growing, with two thirds of people reportedly pro-full, or pro-partial decriminalization, according to the New Zealand Drug Foundation.

The government's centre-right opposition, the New Zealand National Party, oppose the new law. Dr. Shane Reti, a health spokesman for the party, called it "lazy and dangerous" because people will start smoking up in public, AP said.

The new bill, which passed the third reading on Tuesday, will become law after receiving assent from the Governor-General, the final, ceremonial part of the legislative process. </s> The New Zealand Herald newspaper reported that the bill, which terminally ill people legal defence for using cannabis products, passed its third reading with the support of all coalition partners except the National Party of New Zealand, which slammed the initiative to decriminalise cannabis.

READ MORE: South Korea — First East Asian Country to Legalize Medical Marijuana

During the bill's second reading on 29 November, New Zealand Health Minister David Clark made several adjustments, expanding the legal defence to all people needing palliative relief, the newspaper noted.

According to the newspaper, cannabis-based drugs will be available by prescription, and the law will come into force as soon as it receives royal assent. </s> Coming on the back of widespread discussion, government has recently approved the production of cannabis, commonly known as marijuana, for medicinal purposes. While the drug has conventionally been used as a recreational drug, in a climate of overwhelming drug abuse within the country, the medicinal usage of the plant has for years been noted, particularly in the treatment of various cancers. Despite the move hailed a major victory for some, groups such as the South African Anti- Drug Alliance has sighted the need for public and professional awareness on the issue.

To unpack the pros and cons of its use, Unani Tibb Medicine Practitioner, Dr Faeeza Abdulatief, discusses the role of cannabis with the natural health fraternity.

Abdulatief explains that while there is controversy surrounding the use of cannabis, the use of cannabis for medical purposes was initiated by the Inkatha Freedom Party’s previous MP, Mario Oriani-Ambrosini, who spoke to the medical advantages of cannabis oils use in treating ailments.

She says that if cannabis is to be legalised, patients will be provided with access to what many describe as the healing properties of cannabis.

“So the access to natural treatment, alternative to what is currently available, would then open up more doors for patients,” she stated.

Commenting on the reported benefits of cannabis, Abdulatief asserts that the plant used in a medical capacity acts a “powerful” pain reliever, relief’s side-effects of cancer treatment, and relieves anxiety and stress.

She, however, notes that cannabis is dosage-dependent and should, therefore, be used within a controlled environment.

“It can have one effect in a small dose and have an opposing effect in a large dose. Therefore, it should be controlled in terms of who is prescribing and having access to this medication in order for it to be used for medicinal value and for it not to be abused.”

While cannabis is known to have side-effects, Abdulatief says that numerous everyday products also have hallucinogenic properties when used in large quantities, including the popular spice, nutmeg.

“Other things like, lavender and camomile are also sedatives. Obviously, the effects might be milder in those cases, and that’s why we have to look at how detrimental the dosage is on the patient,” she noted.

Abdulatief further states that when assessing the two conventional methods for the administration of cannabis, the two main methods is through smoking and the use of the oil extracted from the plant.

In comparing the two uses, she asserts that the use of the oil would be “more beneficial” and “less detrimental” than smoking the herb itself.

“The conventional way is smoking; when you are smoking you introduce a lot of other toxins into your body when burning the herb itself. So we produce carcinogens and tars by burning the herb at high temperatures.”

As a natural medicine practitioner, she adds that anyone who is prescribing the drug would require the correct training to prescribe cannabis in order to ensure that the correct dosage is administered.

Given the fact that there is no regulation of the growing of cannabis with South Africa, in terms of pesticides and other contamination concerns, users are not provided with a guarantee on the quality of the product that they are currently accessing.

Abdulatief, therefore, encourages consumers to make the distinction between the two most popular uses of cannabis and to use it responsibly.

“Cannabis was around for thousands of years and it has been in the pharmacopeia for the use of more than a hundred separate illnesses. But in 1971, it was taken away due to the war on drugs and that affected the use of cannabis medicinally.”

What does Islam say?

 Medical doctor and exco member of the Muslim Judicial Council, Dr Yusuf Arieff explains that there does exist a misnomer with regard to the government’s choice to address the issue of cannabis, and that the current discussion relates not to a abroad based legalisation of its use, but instead relates to the medicinal and controlled usage of the plant in its medical form.

He says that once a well-regulated medicinal cannabis product is produced, which has undergone clinical controls then the use of cannabis will be considered in a different light within the context of Islam.

“In that scenario we will have to look at the possibility of permissibility. If we look at every single product we will have to be weighed on its own credit Islamically.”

With regards to similar rulings, Arieff notes that fuqaha who have contributed to this field of science, have stipulated five categories that would need to be fulfilled in order for the product to be regarded as permissible.
• The first is that of ‘dharurah’, absolutely necessity, where the illness of the patient warrants the use of the product.
• The second category relates to clinical controls that have proven that the product is of benefit.
• While the third category requires that the minimum amount of the product is used, therefore, ensuring that overdosing and harm to the user is prevented.
• The fourth category relates to the assessing of safer options that does not provide room for intoxication.
• While the final category relates to the fact that Islam requires that the use of a product does not cause more harm through its use.

“So if a person has cancer and is using [cannabis]; is it going to cause greater harm or is it taking away the symptoms only?” Arieff added.

Arieff states that within the context of Islam, cannabis used as a recreational tool acts as an intoxicant, removing the user’s sense of judgement and consciousness.

While cannabis has been reported to have positive benefits when used in medicinal products, he asserts that more research needs to be conducted in order to have a comprehensive understanding on the effects of its use.

“We are not saying that if somebody wants to use it for recreational use it is permissible. We are saying that if doctors prescribe it and it is proven to be of benefit and all the five criteria are being used, then there wouldn’t be anything disallowing us from saying that it is impermissible – [but]this is definitely not a fatwa,” Arieff explained. VOC
Luxembourg legalizes the use of medical cannabis for patients suffering from diseases such as cancer.