Medical marijuana harshing the mellows of Polish healthcare professionals

In 2017, Poland joined a growing  number of countries in legalizing marijuana for medical use. Now, patients here can get a cannabis prescription for ailments like chronic pain, nausea from chemotherapy, multiple sclerosis symptoms, and drug-resistant epilepsy.

However, medical professionals are still adjusting to the change. Doctors are often not trained in proper prescription of the drug and need to learn how to correctly dose it. And, starting next month, pharmacists will begin classes to learn how to prepare and sell it. Even then, not every pharmacy is permitted dispense marijuana, and those which are do not currently keep it on hand and must order it from a warehouse.

Further complications stem from the fact that, currently, marijuana must be imported from countries like the Netherlands or Canada, and only one company (Spectrum Cannabis) is permitted to do so.

Pharmacy organizations recommend that around 300,000 people in Poland may qualify for a medical marijuana prescription, which can theoretically be bought for about 65 PLN per prescription. Until it becomes normalized in the Polish healthcare industry, though, in practice patients may find it still a bit difficult to obtain.