The law on the legalization of medical cannabis entered into force on August 16. It regulates its circulation for medical and industrial purposes, scientific and scientific and technical activities.
The main change introduced by the law is the permission to use cannabis for medical purposes. Cannabis, its resin, extracts and tinctures are now allowed (they were removed from the list of particularly dangerous substances).
The law simplifies the medical use of cannabis-based drugs and at the same time provides for strict control by the National Police over the cultivation of this plant, production and sale of drugs based on it. The entire chain of circulation of medical cannabis will be subject to license control — from import or cultivation to dispensing to a patient in a pharmacy, the Ministry of Health emphasizes.
An electronic system will provide transparency and control over the circulation of medical cannabis drugs. Every transaction with medical cannabis will be registered in it.
Medicines from medical cannabis will be made in the conditions of a pharmacy and prescribed according to a prescription. Patients will be able to buy such drugs only with an electronic prescription. Medicines from medical cannabis are expected to come in the form of oral drops, hard capsules, and toothpastes. Pharmacies must obtain licenses to sell these drugs.
Medical cannabis differs from ordinary cannabis in the content of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — a substance that produces a narcotic effect, namely, causes a feeling of euphoria, changes consciousness and behavior. There is little THC in medical cannabis, but a lot of cannabidiol, which relieves pain, relaxes, improves sleep and appetite. The doctor will prescribe cannabis with a certain percentage of THC to the patient. The pharmacy will make a mixture of raw materials for each patient to achieve the desired percentage.
The Ministry of Health notes that medical cannabis is effective in the treatment of more than 50 pathological conditions: chronic pain, arthritis, rheumatism, epilepsy, Alzheimerʼs and Parkinsonʼs diseases, diabetic neuropathy, various forms of sclerosis, etc. And they add that cannabis is used for medical purposes in 56 countries of the world.