Spain Says “Insufficient Evidence” to Support Medical Cannabis Legalization

The Spanish Minister of Health, José María Miñones, recently told the Chamber of Deputies that the information available on medical cannabis “is insufficient, and we cannot recommend its use.” The announcement has outraged politicians and patients alike, who were initially hoping that the government would finally make good on its promise of legalizing medical cannabis by the end of 2022.

Spain had set a goal of regulating and distributing medical cannabis throughout the country by the end of 2022. With that deadline having passed, the Spanish government remained tight-lipped about the reasons for the delay and when the legislation might be enacted. That is, until today, when it announced that, aside from a limited number of conditions, it has “insufficient evidence” to support legalizing medical cannabis.

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Spain Says Insufficient Evidence Available

As reported by Cannareporter, the Spanish Minister of Health, José María Miñones, recently told the Chamber of Deputies that, aside from spasticity derived from multiple sclerosis and different types of epilepsy – conditions treated by pharmaceutical products – “unfortunately,” for other diseases, the information available on medical cannabis “is insufficient and we cannot recommend its use.”

Reactions from those invested in broader access to medical cannabis in Spain are one-sided. MP Josune Gorospe of the Basque parliamentary group (PNV) said he considered the minister’s response a “regression,” while Carola Perez, president of the Spanish Medical Cannabis Observatory, has already condemned the statements.

Miñones Faces Parliamentary Questioning

Miñones, who was appointed this Monday as Minister of Health to replace Carolina Darias, made his debut in government during a plenary session. The first question he received was about the regulation of medical cannabis in Spain, asked by Spanish PNV deputy Josune Gorospe.

Gorospe began by warning Miñones that he was already “the third minister we have questioned in this legislature about the regulation of the medicinal use of cannabinoids” and that the regulation of medical cannabis in Spain, which would make it possible to know “which patients could have access to this type of product, is already three months late.”

Questioning him directly, she asked, “When does the government intend to fulfill the mandate of this chamber on the regulation of the medical and therapeutic use of cannabinoids in Spain?”

In response, the freshman minister simply read from his index cards.

Spanish Patients and Politicians Outraged

Gorospe was outraged and said the response left her “cold,” noting that a Spanish government commission spent six months working with entities, experts, and representatives from other governments to gather evidence.

“How can you tell me that there is no evidence? Listen, read, and pay attention to what we have here. Don’t make a fool of yourself by putting us in the position of other European countries and giving Spanish patients the same opportunities as other patients elsewhere,” she said.

Once again, the Spanish Minister of Health said that the Medicines Agency is working on a report “that allows us to establish the most appropriate regulation to pursue two objectives: safety and efficacy,” adding that the agency will continue to work and analyze the scientific literature to establish the modality that best meets the needs of patients and the Spanish regulatory system.

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(Featured image by RODNAE Productions via Pexels)

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