Malta Legalizes Synthetic Hemp Oil
Malta’s Medicines Authority has green-lighted the sale of a synthetic form of hemp-based oil for the treatment of chronic pain. Unfortunately, the organization will continue to block the sale of natural cannabis and hemp oil for now.
Andrew Agius, a family doctor, was informed on August 7 that the Medicines Authority granted him a license to sell synthetic CBD oil. The CBD-rich synthetic hemp oil will only be available at the Lantern Pharmacy in Santa Venera.
Prescriptions can only be licensed by a single man—Nick Refalo, an licensed oncologist and former politician. It is not cheap, either. A tiny 20ml bottle of CBD oil containing five percent synthetic CBD cost €700 or $822.74. A bottle of the same volume containing ten percent synthetic CBD cost €1,500 or $1763.48.
Agius was not necessarily impressed, because he’d rather see natural CBD oil legalized. “Scientific evidence shows natural CBD oil is more effective because it has strains of THC and the two ingredients have a synergistic effect,” he told Lovin’ Malta. “The synthetic version does not include THC.” Agius was given a warning by the Superintendence of Public Health to stop prescribing natural CBD oil, but a compromise involving synthetic oil was reached. Agius claims that many of his patients have switched their entire drug regimens with a few drops of CBD oil.
Natural CBD oil is usually the preferred choice. For one, compare the prices—a 20ml bottle of hemp oil with five percent natural CBD oil would cost about €50 or $58.78, much cheaper than synthetic alternatives. Last January, Maltese authorities promised that medical cannabis was “month’s away,” referring to the sale of GW Pharmaceuticals’ Sativex®. Sativex® was licensed for sale on Malta, however no pharmacy was willing to import the mouth spray.
It’s a small step of progress for the English and Maltese-speaking island. Many other exciting cannabis-related developments are unfolding in Malta. Recreational cannabis is “on the agenda,” according to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. The Maltese government is taking a more serious look at the adult use of cannabis.
