Amendments to the Drug Dependency (treatment not imprisonment) Bill which would allow medical practitioners to prescribe medicinal marijuana show that authorities propose to ban medicinal preparations intended for smoking. This means that medicinal cannabis would be legally prescribed in the form of edibles, oil or other non-smoking methods of consumption.
Health Minister Chris Fearne will start the debate on the amendments, which is in its second reading, tomorrow evening in Parliament. The Bill, which was presented for its first reading on 27 November, permits registered medical practitioners to prescribe medicinal cannabis if “no viable alternative” exists.
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Contents of the proposed amendments seen by The Malta Independent on Sunday, state: “A licensed medical practitioner who is duly registered in accordance with the Health Care Professions Act, shall be entitled to prescribe to patients medicinal preparations of the plant cannabis and synthetic cannabinoid products licensed under the Medicines Act or manufactured under good manufacturing practice, if it is considered that there is no viable alternative to such prescription due account being taken of any protocols which may be in force from time to time in respect of the prescription of medicines, of the interests of the patient and of the costs."
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