An American cannabidiol (CBD) company is praising recent moves by the Swiss government to expand access to medical cannabis.
On Wednesday, the Swiss government announced that it had amended Narcotics Act, removing the ban on medical cannabis use.
“Medical cannabis is gaining broader acceptance across Europe, as evidenced by this revision to the regulation and recent moves by the Spanish government to legalize medical cannabis,” says CBD of Denver (CBDD) CEO Paul Gurney. “We see the trend continuing to rapidly strengthen moving forward.”
With the changes in place, patients will no longer need an exceptional permit from the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH).
The changes will go into effect on August 1, 2022.
CBDD congratulated the Swiss government on the move, noting that the FOPH’s exceptional approval of medical cannabis drastically reduced patient access.
CBDD says administrative processing could not keep up with potential patient demand.
But when the new amendment goes into effect, CBDD says doctors and patients will decide together whether to use medical cannabis, skipping the current slow permitting process.
Gurney applauded the government’s emphatic stance on medical cannabis and dedication to helping people access it more easily.
“We see this as a powerful tool for managing pain and hope this will encourage doctors to take another look at cannabis for their patients,” says Gurney. “We also believe this will improve the quality of the product for medical cannabis users, helping to make the industry cleaner and more transparent.”
