Project Description

Danish Doctors to Prescribe Medicinal Cannabis

Cannabis is used recreationally for its euphoriant effects. However, with mounting evidence for its medicinal benefit and potential effective therapeutic use, there have been increasing calls for its decriminalisation and legalisation.

As a matter of fact, modern research suggests that cannabis is a valuable aid in the treatment of a wide range of clinical applications. These include pain relief — particularly neuropathic pain — nausea, spasticity, glaucoma, and movement disorders.

The documented use of cannabis as a safe and effective therapeutic botanical dates back to 2700 BC. The cannabis plant has been around for centuries. It is believed to have originated in Central Asia, but has expanded its reach to the whole world over time.

Chronic Pain is one of the most common ailments for which doctors prescribe medical marijuana. Of those taking the treatment, nearly 90% say it greatly or moderately relieves their pain.

Medicinal cannabis is already legal in Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden and the US. Many physicians support legalising medicinal marijuana.

Now, it’s Denmark’s turn, where authorisation has been given for the beginning of a new trial on therapeutic use of marijuana. The Scandinavian country’s government has announced as from the beginning of 2018, physicians will be enabled to prescribe medicinal cannabis.

The trial period will last four years, and will evaluate the benefits of treatment with cannabis on a selected group of patients suffering from multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, spinal cord injury as well as patients undergoing chemotherapy.

The Danish Health Ministry has declared that at the end of the trial period you it will be decided whether to make this decision permanent for certain subsets of patients.

However it goes, this is an unprecedented initiative that radically deviates from Denmark’s traditional hard line towards cannabis, both for recreational and therapeutic use.