The Ministry of Health in cooperation with the Agency for Drugs of Macedonia has prepared a bill on amending the law on control of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances in an effort to legalize the use of cannabis for medical purposes in the country.

According to the draft-law, cannabis could be grown and used only in Macedonia and it could be only cultivated by legal entities, Health Minister Nikola Todorov said Wednesday.

“The draft-law legalizing cannabis use for medical purposes will be submitted to be reviewed by the government… With the bill, Macedonia is in fact following the growing trend in the European Union, where a total of 13 countries have already legalized the use of cannabis-based products for medical purposes, including the Czech Republic, Finland, Romania, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, France, Austria, Portugal, Germany, UK, Slovenia and Croatia,” Minister Todorov told a news conference.

Cannabis for medical use, he elaborated, should not be in any circumstance used for self-medication, instead it has to be used with doctor’s prescription and under medical supervision. At the same time, it is not intended to replace conventional medical therapies.  

“Having in mind that the use of cannabis for medical purposes so far was not legally regulated and the use and possession of marijuana was considered a crime, these amendments are introduced in order these products, with strictly controlled composition and quality, to be made available to patients. The objective is to also regulate cultivation, manufacture and sales of cannabis-based products for medical purposes,” stated Todorov.