Facts and myths about medical cannabis in Poland

Poland’s citizens need education about medical cannabis, as their safety during treatments depends on it. Information on the effects and ingredients of cannabis are important. “This is important for the patients, but it’s also important for the medical staff,” says Tomasz Witkowski, Poland’s manager for Spectrum Therapeutics.

As of January 2019, Poland became an importer of medical cannabis. This is thanks to the global producer of medical cannabis—Canopy Growth. Patients can now buy medical cannabis in pharmacies, though it is available only on prescription.

The facts about medical cannabis

Fact 1: Cannabis relieves chronic pain in adults and reduces nausea.

Pain management societies around the world recognize and recommend cannabis for its proven efficacy in the treatment of chronic pain. Research has shown that cannabis also reduces nausea after chemotherapy.

Fact 2: There are few side-effects from the use of cannabis.

There are scientific studies on the harmfulness of cannabis use. This study by scientists from the University of Michigan has shown that 42% of patients who use medical cannabis give up their medications. Another 38% of patients reduced their doses.

Fact 3: You can’t overdose on cannabis.

The “therapeutic index” is a quantitative measurement of the relative safety of a drug. Cannabis has a very good rating on the therapeutic index, thus indicating that it is a safe drug.

Fact 4: Medical and recreational cannabis are not the same products.

They prepare and control the production of medical cannabis throughout the production process. However, recreational cannabis is often not regulated to the same degree.

Fact 5: There are no effective substitutes for medical cannabis.

Medical cannabis doesn’t have a substitute, though some preparations are developed with synthetic cannabinoids. However, they cause different reactions and produce undesirable side effects.

The myths about medical cannabis

Myth 1: Medical cannabis is addictive.

Patients undergoing medical cannabis therapy are under the care of qualified medical staff. Therefore, if they use the product as prescribed and follow doctors’ recommendations, there is no risk of addiction.

Myth 2: Cannabis in Poland is illegal.

The act legalizing cannabis for medical purposes in Poland came into force in November 2017. Poland issues legal medical cannabis products in pharmacies and only on the condition of a medical prescription.

Myth 3: Medical cannabis has no positive medical effects.

The main uses of medical cannabis are to treat chronic pain and alleviate the adverse effects caused by chemotherapy. Furthermore, it helps with radiotherapy (oncological patients), multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and much more.

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(Featured image by candelabra)

First published in Biznes Newseria, a third-party contributor translated and adapted the article from the original. In case of discrepancy, the original will prevail.

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