Technical hemp will be allowed to contain a higher level of the active substance THC. On Tuesday, the House of Commons approved an amendment to improve the availability of medical cannabis and allowed it to be prescribed by electronic prescription. It rejected a Senate proposal to maintain the status quo. The draft in the House version will now go to the president for signature.
Under the approved amendment, cannabis containing up to one percent THC, roughly three times more than now, will be considered technical cannabis. Some senators pointed out that increasing the content would contravene the international drug convention and affect criminal law, where the line between a misdemeanor and a criminal offense is at stake.
Private entities will be able to grow cannabis plants for medicinal use, produce a medicinal substance from them and distribute it under the same conditions as any other addictive substance. The Ministry of Health hopes that this change will increase competition and lower the price of cannabis-infused medicinal products, covered by public health insurance in 90% of cases.
Medicinal cannabis is used, for example, for chronic pain for which other medicines do not work. It is prescribed by selected doctors, for example, for people with multiple sclerosis, cancer, and AIDS.