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Family Doctors in Malta Get Green Light to Prescribe Medical Cannabis

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Family doctors in Malta, a European country off the coast of Italy, will be able to prescribe non-smokable forms of medical cannabis like any other drug, according to an announcement from Health Minister Chris Fearne on November 20. An amendment to the Drug Dependence Act of 2015 would simplify the current tedious and bureaucratic process that makes it difficult to obtain medicine.

The changes would take out the middle man, specialist doctors that only prescribe medical cannabis products. Prior to the changes, every prescription had to be approved by either the local medicines authority or the European Medicines Agency, the European Union’s pharmaceutical watchdog.

Since Malta legalized non-smokable forms of medical cannabis, the problems in the system immediately became apparent. In the beginning, only one man was authorized to prescribe CBD oil. “In these two years, we found that despite the requests by patients and doctors alike, in practice the 2015 law involved too much bureaucracy and many could not get access to the medicinals they needed,” explained Fearne.

Fearne also said that Parliament will shortly begin discussing additional legislation on medical cannabis. Once the amendment is approved, patients will still need a prescription in order to obtain medical cannabis. Importation of medical cannabis products will continue to be limited to licensed importers. According to Fearne, Economy Minister Chris Cardona will file proposals to allow manufacturers in Malta to start producing their own medical cannabis products.

Medical cannabis products will be available for purchase, as long as the medical cannabis is purchased from a pharmacy using a control card. Maltese locals have been creative in the past, engaging in guerilla gardening, by planting cannabis in public areas in the cities of Gozo and Zebbug.

While cannabis in its natural form is still illegal in Malta, small steps are being made to make medical cannabis more of a reality on the island.

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