On Wednesday (February 13), the European Union Parliament passed a resolution that will help to advance research into medical cannabis within the EU. This resolution comes hot on the heels of a recommendation by the World Health Organization (WHO) to reschedule cannabis internationally.
While the resolution passed in the EU Parliament isn’t binding, it provides encouragement to EU member states to increase their citizens’ access to medical marijuana. The resolution also calls on member countries to prioritize research and clinical studies on marijuana.
This resolution passed by the EU Parliament provides yet another voice in support of medical marijuana. The World Health Organization also recommended that cannabis be rescheduled in recognition of its therapeutic potential while also being aware that the drug can be addictive. A final vote is expected in March to cement the position of the UN on the recommendations made by the WHO expert committee that studied the matter at great length.
The EU resolution also goes further to call on member states to set standards for all non-pharmaceutical cannabis products in a bid to protect consumers.
Member states were also called upon to address all the legal, cultural, regulatory and financial barriers that have stood in the way of scientific research on marijuana and its medicinal uses. To put this appeal into context, consider the U.S. federal government’s laws on marijuana. Those laws make it hard for researchers to conduct any meaningful studies since cannabis is federally illegal and isn’t recognized as having any therapeutic value.
Additionally, only one cultivator (based in Mississippi) is mandated to provide all the cannabis needed for any approved research in the U.S. The cannabis from this facility is notorious for its poor quality (if researchers can manage to secure that marijuana in the first place). Such barriers have made the U.S. to lag behind in cannabis research. The EU resolution seeks to fix such problems amongst EU member states.
The members of the European Parliament also agreed that it was necessary to establish case-specific therapies for the medicinal use of cannabis. For example, does someone with chronic pain require the same concentration of THC and CBD (among other ingredients) as another person who wants to use medical cannabis to treat or manage insomnia? Scientific research should be able to answer such questions, according to the EU Parliament.
VIVO Cannabis Inc. (TSX.V: VIVO) (OTCQX: VVCIF) and Youngevity International, Inc. (NASDAQ: YGYI) welcome the decisions made by the EU Parliament and the World Health organization regarding the medical benefits of marijuana.
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