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Europe Divided on Medicinal Pot

Chances of unified marijuana policy up in smoke

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 27, 2009 6:14 AM CST

(Newser) – Wildly different laws among the EU's 27 nations mean a unified policy on medicinal marijuana is expected to remain a pipe dream for many years to come. The Netherlands has not only legalized medicinal marijuana, but set up a government bureau to ensure users get top-quality pot. Sweden, Britain, and Ireland, meanwhile, refuse to recognize any medicinal uses for marijuana at all.

"The state realized that so many people wanted to use cannabis, so it said, 'Why not give it to them via prescription instead of them accessing the drug illegally?'" an expert in the Netherlands tells the Wall Street Journal. The Netherlands supplies medicinal marijuana to Italy, Finland and Germany. Patients in European countries with stricter laws are pushing their governments to adopt a more Dutch-style approach, but analysts say the politicized nature of the marijuana debate means they won't likely succeed.

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (1)]

A woman smokes a joint in an Amsterdam cafe. (Getty Images)

An assistant studies cannabis leaves in the Maripharma Laboratory in Rotterdam, Netherlands. (Getty Images)

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European policy is not really changing at all and I don't think this issue is even on the European agenda. The topic is too controversial and
too political. - Catherine Sandvos, a legal expert at the Netherlands' Cannabis Bureau

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 7 comments

Islander

Nov 27, 2009 12:42 PM CST

There are more than 27 nations in the EU. Most of the EU's 27 states contain more than one nation. Spain has Castilians, Catalans and Basques; France has French, Bretons, Basques (again) and others. The British Isles alone (containing 2 EU states - the Republic of Ireland and the UK) has Welsh, English, Irish, Scots, Manx and Channel Islanders (and Romany) and almost as many legal systems. Europe is more complex than most folk think. Now, what about a common EU foreign policy?

Nwambe

Nov 27, 2009 12:41 PM CST

Unfortunate, but not unheard of. As wonderful as marijuana is, I as a user can see why people would be loath to legalize it. That being said, I genuinely think that it should be legalized; a plant, fundamentally, with more medicinal properties than alcohol and cigarettes combined, which has the grossly unintended side effect of, when smoked, making you laugh your ass off for twenty minutes at a patch of misaligned wallpaper, seems a pretty safe bet for relatively low rates of abuse.

Derni

Nov 27, 2009 8:48 AM CST

Now the Netherlands has Medical Pot and health care for all..better get to work USA..

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European Union • medical marijuana • Netherlands • marijuana • cannabis

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Europe Divided on Medicinal Pot