By: Jeremy Daw
Even while backward prohibition, antiquated scare
tactics and rampant misinformation continue to plague European attitudes
and policies toward cannabis, good news has begun cropping up all over
the continent as several countries have undertaken meaningful reforms to
allow access to medical marijuana.
Here’s an update of some of the most
significant victories:
United Kingdom: There was a great discussion a
few months earlier, when British cannabis legalization petitioners
managed to gather 220,000 signatures. British politicians have not yet
quite decided whether cannabis legalization is a good or a bad thing,
but one thing is for sure – they are now much more aware of the economic
aspect.
Taxes from cannabis legalization could bring in plenty of money
to ease certain radical economic transitions, so they might be thinking
things over now, taking cannabis more seriously.
The Liberal Democrat Norman Lamb raised a bill for
changing the legal status of cannabis proposing the decriminalization of
cannabis use last month. Parliament has already held one hearing, and more are on the way.
France: Unlike what their “liberal” reputation
would suggest, French governments have a long tradition of
not-so-liberal cannabis policies. In fact, although France has been home
to plenty of Cannabis users
for many decades, the government has consistently demonized the herb as
the “devil’s plant”.
In January 2014, patients felt a ray of hope as it
was claimed that medical marijuana is going to be available for
sufferers of select diseases, but already the inaction of policy makers
has slowed the progress they desperately need. To date, the only
approved cannabis infused product (Sativex) is still not available.
However, there might be another thing about all this cannabis
demonizing.
Whether the political foot-dragging betrays the meddling of
the country’s powerful alcohol industry is anyone’s guess.
Germany: When it comes to the Germans and
cannabis, things are looking a little bit better. For many years the
most seriously ill patients had to obtain licenses in order to import
cannabis medicine from the Netherlands. Recently, the prohibitive cost
of complying with this policy has prompted politicians to begin
reconsidering cheaper ways to solve the problem.
According to Hanfverband,
the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) is now
compelled to give licenses for cannabis growing, because on April 6th,
the German Federal Administrative Court ruled that medical marijuana can
be used if patients grow their own plants/medicine from their own medical cannabis seeds.
Moreover Germany reportedly has plans
to establish an governmental agency that will be responsible for the
regulation, distribution and cultivation of medical cannabis. According
to some reports, patients in need of medical marijuana are going to get
their medicine prescribed by their doctor, and everything is going to be
completely paid by health insurance.
However, if someone wants to
import the marijuana, it would still only be possible from the
Netherlands, and each patient must still cover their own import
expenses.
Italy: The usage of medical cannabis in Italy
is technically legal, but the law somewhat confusing as it does not
clearly separate patients from drug-distributing criminals. Because of
that, the Italian parliament has decided to bring in some new laws,
allowing the cultivation of medical marijuana for therapeutic reasons
and medical research.
The reason for this new regulation was mainly to
protect all those who are working in a cannabis research lab from being
prosecuted as criminals. But while it is true that these laws don’t
allow the recreational usage just yet, it could still be a hint of
better days to come.
Although the reform developments in
Europe may not be so impressive compared to those of the U.S., it is yet
true that European countries are moving toward and increasing tolerance
of medical marijuana. Maybe their steps aren’t big, but that shouldn’t
discourage us from thinking that cannabis prohibition is soon to be
over.
Next time you take a look at the news, maybe you’re going to find out that cannabis has finally been legalized in your favorite European country.
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