European Union nation Luxembourg plans to launch a two-year medical cannabis pilot project, according to an AFP News report. The plan, which would allow officials to determine who should have access to the program and under what conditions, still requires parliamentary approval.
Health Minister Lydia Mutsch indicated the government plans to limit access to individuals with cancer, multiple sclerosis, and other debilitating conditions. Prescription authority “should be limited to certain specialists like oncologists, neurologists, and internists,” she said in the report.
“This must be an exception in a controlled and secure setting,” she added.
Luxembourg has allowed the use of medicines containing cannabis ingredients since 2012, but not the raw plant.
Mutsch, who introduced the measure, indicated she plans to present amendments to the draft governing medicinal use of drugs by the end of the year and, if approved by Parliament, the pilot project could commence in 2018.
Luxembourg neighbors France, which does not permit any cannabis use; Germany, which legalized medical cannabis use earlier this year; and Belgium, which does not have any legal cannabis access but “tolerates limited personal possession,” according to the report.