Rules on the use of cannabis

We assess the situation. There are many laws that follow one another regarding cannabis, hemp or cannabinoids and which affect various sectors: from cultivation to processing, passing through the production of biodegradable products, cosmetics, semi-finished products,  arriving at the vast world of foods that contain it.

There are so many that sometimes there is the risk of making a great confusion , getting lost in regulations that sanction their legality, therapeutic power, the possibility of cultivation and the consequent processing and marketing.

Among the latest is the Law n.242  of the Official Gazette on Hemp of December 2016, which came into force in January 2017, which concerns the provisions for the promotion of the cultivation and agro-industrial chain of hemp in the varieties admitted in the ” Common catalog of varieties and agricultural plant species “of the European Commission. 

But more relevant to the topic, there was also the novelty of last year, namely the approval of the bill on the therapeutic use of cannabis by the Chamber ( Corriere. It ), for which, in fact, the doctor will be able to prescribe cannabis-based medicines and herbal medicines for pain therapy and other uses authorized by the Ministry of Health . But let’s try to understand in which cases and what benefits the therapeutic use of cannabis can bring.

Read also Hemp, properties and use >>

Benefits of cannabis 

On a therapeutic level, according to research carried out for some time, there are benefits deriving from the curative and controlled use of cannabis. Likewise, there are conflicting opinions that leverage on the fact that this substance can cause addiction and, in the long run, cause damage to the body and mind.

A recent report , published in ” The National Academies of Sciences, engineering, medicine “ , offers a panorama of 100 conclusions, from 1999 onwards, about the effects of marijuana and products deriving from the use and consumption of cannabis.

Among the benefits that can be found at the therapeutic level, first of all the use of cannabis-based medicines in the treatment of chronic pain in adults is reported. As Repubblica.it also explains , medical cannabis can also be useful in case of nausea or vomiting induced by chemotherapy treatments or in other diseases of the central nervous system.

Risks and uncertainties regarding medical cannabis

On the other hand, the same study immediately highlights the “indirect risks” deriving from the consumption of cannabis, that is the growing risk of road accidents or accidental ingestion by children, with consequent poisoning.

The risk of being subject to bronchitis increases for those who smoke cannabis and, in parallel, the possibility of developing psychosis , schizophrenia or other mental disorders, such as anxiety and depression, increases.

The uses for which only limited or insufficient scientific evidence has been found, for which there is no adequate evidence, relate instead to the increase in appetite and weight in AIDS patients, the use of cannabinoids as sedatives in certain specific cases or as adjuvants in the treatment of epilepsy. 

Medical use of cannabis

In addition to the production of fabrics and ropes, some plants and varieties of the Cannabis genus are therefore used in the pharmacopoeia  for the production of medicines authorized both in Italy and abroad.

As the Ministry of Health specifies , it is thanks to the active substances present, namely cannaboids – including tetrahydrocannabinol or THC and cannabidiol or CBD – that benefits can be found from the therapeutic use of cannabis. Also explained by the government health site the cannabis inflorescences of plants with a high THC content (> 0.2%) must be transformed into active substances of plant origin according to the European directives on medicines.

The government website also sheds light on preparations and the medical use of cannabinoid-based medicines .

In addition to the prior authorization for cultivation, the current legislation provides that the sale can only be made to pharmaceutical workshops authorized for processing into medicines and active substances.

According to the directives of the European Union – implemented in Italy with Legislative Decree 219 of 2006 and subsequent amendments -, the production of these medicines can only be done by authorized pharmaceutical workshops, the marketing can be made to pharmacies or authorized pharmaceutical distributors who can sell only at pharmacies. In fact, in some Italian pharmacies, the first therapeutic cannabis produced entirely in Italy at the military chemical pharmaceutical plant in Florence is on sale.

What to read to get the best information : The Federcanapa.it site is useful for offering a broad overview of the rules on hemp at 360 degrees. “Cannabis – alfalfa. Norms, galenic preparations, current events and prospects for treatment” by Fabio Firenzuoli, Francesco Epifani, Idalba Loiacono. “Medical Cannabis. 100 responses on the therapeutic use of marijuana”, by fabio Bernabei.