Poland Legalizes Medical Cannabis

Poland recently took a step closer in legalizing cannabis for medical use. A bill to allow for medical cannabis treatment just passed the Polish lower house of parliament. The bill was tabled by Piotr Krzysztof Liroy-Marzec, a popular rapper-turned-politician who has been a Member of Parliament in Poland since 2005.

Only two representatives out of the 443 lawmakers voted against the legalization of cannabis for medical use. 42 percent of Poles polled in a PBS survey supported legalization of cannabis for medical reasons, while 26 percent supported full legalization for recreational use.

Currently Poland only allows for a cannabis-derived medicine for patients with multiple sclerosis, Sativex. Unfortunately, while it can be prescribed by a doctor it is not covered by the Polish National Health Service.

In 2015, the Children’s Health Hospital banned Dr. Marek Bacha?ski after he tested cannabis-based treatments on drug-resistant epilepsy patients.

However, the motion to legalize cannabis cultivation in Poland was rejected. The motion to legalize all cannabis use was excluded in the bill.

“Polish society is not ready for legalization of recreational marijuana yet. The debate about [decriminalizing] possession of small amounts is still ongoing,” Liroy-Marzec said. “The ruling party, Law and Justice, supported our bill on medical marijuana. They are strongly against legalization of any recreational drugs.”

If the bill passes, Poland will join European Union members such as Austria, Germany, Italy, and The Netherlands in allowing cannabis use for medical reasons.

Poland’s lawmakers have battled over legalization for several years. In 2012, Janusz Palikot lit a cannabis-scented incense stick in his Parliament chambers to call attention to efforts to legalize ‘soft drugs’ such as cannabis. In 2015 left-wing politician and social activist Tomasz Kalita died from brain cancer after giving another push for cannabis legalization.

The bill will go on to the Polish Senate and president for approval.