Portugal Parliament Passes Legislation to Legalize Marijuana Medicines
Portugal’s full parliament overwhelmingly approved a bill today that would legalize marijuana-based medicines, reports Reuters.
Only one party, the center-right CDS-PP, abstained in the vote. The bill would legalize prescription marijuana to treat chronic pain, post traumatic stress disorder, side effects from cancer therapy, and a list of other ailments. The bill now goes to President Marcelo Rebelo de Souza who can sign it into law, allow it to become law without a signature, or veto it.
Under the proposed law all marijuana medicines will need to be licenses from regulator Infarmed, the body which last year authorized a medical marijuana plantation in central Portugal for export.
“Portugal, on the Atlantic coast has a warm temperate subtropical climate, with mild winters, warm summers and lots of sunny days, which is often compared to that of California, making it an ideal place for cannabis cultivation”, states the Reuters report.
In Portugal the possession of all drugs, including marijuana, has been decriminalized since 2001. However, if President Souza signs the parliament-approved medical marijuana law, it would mark the first time the nation has legalized marijuana for recreational or medical use.
