Spain Cannabis Regulatory Measure Amended To Address CBD Products
Lawmakers and regulators in Spain are making what appears to be a final push to finally approve and implement a long-awaited medical cannabis regulatory measure. 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. The measure is reportedly moving forward, and was recently amended to address concerns over how it would potentially impact CBD products.
“Thanks to the coordinated lobbying efforts of EIHA, alongside other associations and manufacturers, the Spanish government has amended the draft Royal Decree on cannabis regulation from October 2024.” the European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA) stated about the amendment.
“The risky sentence “regardless of its cannabinoid content”, which posed a serious threat by potentially classifying CBD as a narcotic, has been replaced with: “preparations with a THC content equal to or greater than 0.2% by weight will be considered psychotropic and will be subject to the control measures.”” EIHA also stated.
“This draft Royal Decree establishes the conditions for the prescription, preparation, dispensing, and use of standardised master formulas for cannabis preparations. Likewise, it establishes a register for standardised cannabis preparations used in the elaboration of these master formulas, in order to guarantee their quality.” the official language of the Royal Decree states (translated from Spanish to English).
“In the preparation of this draft, the different normative regulations on the regulation of medical cannabis in countries of the European Union (France, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Portugal, Italy, Germany…) and in third countries (Switzerland, Israel, the United Kingdom, Canada…) have been considered. The review has been carried out considering its scientific basis, based on evidence published in scientific literature, the available information on the functioning of the different systems and their health effects, and the possibility its adaptation to the Spanish regulatory framework.” the Decree also states.
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.
