Spain approves medicinal cannabis after years of campaigning
Hospital specialists across Spain will now be able to prescribe standardised cannabis oil preparations for serious medical conditions
Spain has taken a massive step forward in healthcare policy by approving regulations that will allow medical cannabis to be prescribed through its hospital system, marking the end of a long campaign by patients and advocates.
The Council of Ministers gave the green light to the measure on Tuesday October 7, bringing to a close a process that has been 12 years in the making. The new framework will enable medicinal cannabis to be formulated and prescribed in hospitals for patients whose conditions have not responded to conventional treatments.
Under the approved regulations, medical cannabis will only be available through hospital settings rather than regular community pharmacies. This means patients will need to be under the care of hospital specialists, who will be the only medical professionals authorised to prescribe these treatments.
Moreover, the regulations specifically refer to preparations based on oils, so cannabis flowers and buds will not be allowed.
The new framework covers a defined set of serious medical conditions. Going forward, medical cannabis can be prescribed for chronic refractory pain, which refers to persistent pain that has not responded to other therapeutic options. It will also be available for patients with severe epilepsy and those experiencing muscle spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis.
These preparations are intended as a therapeutic alternative specifically for situations where other treatments have failed to provide adequate pain relief.
What’s interesting though is that while the initial rollout focuses on these specific conditions, the government has avoided creating overly rigid restrictions. The regulation doesn’t go as far as to limit the use of cannabis for specific ailments, meaning there’s possibly some flexibility for future medical applications.
According to a Ministry of Health press release: "This model allows for continuous updating based on scientific advances and available clinical evidence, paving the way for the incorporation of new indications in the future, always under rigorous criteria of efficacy, safety, and medical necessity."
This adaptable framework means that as more clinical evidence emerges and medical understanding develops, additional conditions could be added to the list of approved uses without requiring entirely new legislation.
The announcement has been met with celebration from those who have spent years pushing for access to medicinal cannabis in Spain.
Carola Pérez, founder of the Spanish Observatory of Medicinal Cannabis, shared her reaction on LinkedIn:
"After 12 years of work, it's finally here: medical cannabis in Spain is regulated!!!!!!
Today, Spain takes a historic step — one that recognises the dignity, pain, and strength of thousands of patients who have been waiting for far too long."
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