Spain Is Expected To Approve A Medical Cannabis Measure Soon

Lawmakers in Spain are reportedly on track to approve a medical cannabis industry regulation measure before this summer. Spain has long been home to a thriving medical cannabis community and market, however, regulations for the nation’s domestic medical cannabis industry have proved to be elusive for years.

The effort to bring Spain’s medical cannabis policies into the modern age passed a major milestone back in October 2024 when the nation’s Ministry of Health published a draft royal decree focused on medical cannabis. That draft royal decree appears to be moving further along in the process.

“After years of waiting, Spain seems to be finally on its way to regulating medical cannabis. If all goes according to plan, the Royal Decree regulating the use of cannabis for medical purposes could be approved before the summer of 2025.” InSpanje stated in its reporting.

“The Spanish Ministry of Health has sent a draft of the Royal Decree to the European Commission, as required by European regulations. Brussels has three months to respond to the proposal. Once a positive response is received, the Council of State will give its opinion and the government can approve the decree. In total, this process could take up to five months.” the outlet also reported.

“The draft establishes broad restrictions on the medical use of cannabis and specifies very specifically the pathologies for which it can be used: multiple sclerosis (stiffness and muscle spasms associated with the condition); severe forms of refractory epilepsy (certain types of epilepsy that do not respond to conventional treatments); nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy; and refractory chronic pain (persistent pain that is not relieved by the usual treatments). In all these cases, experts believe that there is “scientific evidence” of the benefits of medical cannabis.” reported Sur late last year in its domestic coverage.

“The Ministry addresses this regulation based on the conclusions of the Subcommittee of the Congress of Deputies for the analysis of experiences with the regulation of cannabis for medicinal use, which called on the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products to prepare a roadmap to approve the regulation.” Spain’s government stated in a press release about the measure (translated from Spanish to English) late last year.

“The proposed regulation guarantees the quality of the products and the safety of patients, enabling the legal avenues available to have therapeutic compounds based on standardized cannabis preparations that have shown evidence in relieving pain and the suffering of patients, considering the oral administration of these compounds as it is the most appropriate in terms of therapeutic effectiveness and safety for patients.” the government’s press release stated.

“This regulation is designed to evolve dynamically, allowing new elements to be incorporated as more information and the experience of the therapeutic cannabis program becomes available. In addition, it will contribute to generating more and better evidence on the use of cannabinoids for therapeutic purposes.” Spain’s government also stated.

Despite the lack of proper regulations in Spain, the nation’s cannabis industry is thriving, albeit not within a regulated system. Suffering patients deserve to have safe access to safe medical cannabis therapies, and entrepreneurs and investors deserve to operate in a business environment that is built on a strong foundation of certainty.