After years of debate, the Congress of Deputies (with the approval of the Government) this week opened the door to the commercialization of cannabis therapeutic products.

This means that within six months, the country’s pharmacies will start selling all kinds of solutions to relieve symptoms associated with multiple sclerosis, some types of epilepsy, the side effects of chemotherapy and chronic pain or oncological type. The will is clear, the problem is that no one is clear on how to implement it.

“Test mode” finished. Currently, two drugs made from cannabis are already marketed in Spain and have actually received public funding and support. Nearly 20,000 hectares of legal marijuana were planted in the country in 2018, and in recent years a small group of companies has gained government mandate to develop, produce and research anything related to the therapeutic uses of the marijuana plant.

With great obscenity, yes. So much so that for years the agricultural, pharmaceutical and industrial sectors have been demanding clearer and more advanced regulation that allows Spain to tap into its full potential and not miss the “leap” on other countries on the continent.

What we will have next will be an intermediate point between previous regulation (which allowed therapeutic use, but did so covertly) and a general legalization. Political agreement would open the hand and allow for practical purposes cannabis to be treated like any other drug.

A backdoor to legalize consumption? Congress recognizes that this decision to seek middle ground is problematic. In his report, he acknowledges that the scientific evidence for therapeutic uses of cannabis is “limited” and, in fact, very strict about the types of ailments covered in the new regulation. New therapeutic uses of marijuana will only be accepted when “studies provide consistent evidence.”

And what Congress fears (and the final report says) is that it becomes a legalization. actual marijuana. Therefore, the report underlines that the marketing of these products should be strictly avoided “not being confused with a general appeal for cannabis use by the population” and they demand close control of the consequences of this new regulation. .

Why six months? Because although the majority of Congress and Government agree, now we have to follow the procedures. The report will be definitively approved by the Congressional Health Commission next week and then sent to the Government. It’s just a formality because the Ministry had already committed to complying with the report’s recommendations, and it’s more than acceptable. From then on, the Pharmaceuticals Agency will have to get to work to make the marijuana’s descent into pharmacies happen.

What can we expect? Small, real. One more step towards a legalization that seems closer each time. However, regulation softens many of the three big effects that regulation can have: collections will not be higher (as it relates to drugs), employment may increase (although the fact is, recent research does not say that legalization has major labor effects), and exports are more affected by anecdotal is not visible.

Image | Richard T.