Europe's High: UK Parents Need NHS Help For Daughter's Seizures, THC MMJ Flowers In Switzerland & More

Luxembourg: Medical Marijuana Shortage Due To Supplier Change

The medical marijuana program in Luxembourg launched in Feb 2019 and has since dealt with supply shortages. The current lack of medical marijuana (MMJ) products is attributed to the change in the cannabis flower supplier, writes Business of Cannabis.

During a recent parliamentary session, Pirate Party MP Sven Clement asked Health Minister Paulette Lenert about the situation, highlighting that only marijuana oils are accessible at the moment. Lenert explained that the shortage is due to a change of suppliers. The contract with the previous supplier, Canadian cannabis giant Tilray Brands Inc. TLRY ended in August and the May tender was won by a Danish pharmaceutical company Schroll Medical.

While the regulators in charge of the MMJ program made a huger order in July to avoid shortage during the transition between suppliers, the order wasn’t completed.

“The order has not arrived and the new cannabis supplier also needs some time before it can supply a sufficient quantity. The cannabis flowers are produced specifically for the Luxembourg market,” Lenert said. She added that the next supply is expected at the end of October and in November.

Malta: Controversial Cannabis Post Was A ‘Mistake By The Management’

Andrew Cassar Overend, a government employee and head of Sprawt Chra, one of the two cannabis associations to obtain an “in-principle” license in Malta, said a recent advertising incident was “a mistake by the management,” reports the Shift News.

In the controversial post, Sprawt invited people to join a “weed-loving journey” with “sizzling events, blazing giveaways, and pot-tastic surprises.” The post and Sprawt's entire Facebook page were deleted most likely due to the violation of advertising rules.

Under Malta’s cannabis law, only “cannabis harm reduction associations” are licensed and regulated to grow and sell cannabis. These associations must be non-profit, can only sell their product and are not allowed to advertise, put cannabis in the name or promote marijuana use in any way.

“The post you refer to was unauthorized by the association’s management team, and an internal exercise is underway to prevent future repeats,” Cassar Overend, who works at the National Development and Social Fund and was previously an economics officer in the Ministry of Finance and Employment told The Shift.

Ireland: Jazz Pharma’s Sativex Available For Reimbursement For Treating MS-Caused Spasticity In Adults

Earlier this month, MS Ireland, the national organization providing information, vital services and support to people with multiple sclerosis in Ireland confirmed reimbursement for Sativex.

Under the Managed Access Program, Sativex is available for reimbursement only for the treatment of moderate-to-severe spasticity due to multiple sclerosis in adult patients who have not responded adequately to other anti-spasticity medications.

Sativex (also known as nabiximols) was given the green light for use by the NHS in 2019 to treat muscle spasms linked to multiple sclerosis. The drug, initially developed by GW Pharmaceuticals which is now part of Jazz Pharmaceuticals JAZZ, is a mix of equal parts of the psychoactive substance Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) that helps reduce pain, inflammation and anxiety without psychoactive effects.

Reimbursement is supported on an individual patient basis through the Health Service Executive (HSE) - Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS) online application system. High Tech prescriptions generated on the High Tech Hub (HTH) will be eligible for reimbursement. The program began Oct.1.

In related news, Ireland’s Citizens Assembly on Drugs Use recently voted in favor of a new health-led approach to drugs and illegal substances, but the cannabis legalization proposal failed.

Switzerland: High THC Medical Marijuana Flowers Available Through This Partnership

The first medical cannabis company to list on the Frankfurt stock exchange in late 2022, Cantourage Group, signed a long-term supply agreement for medical marijuana with the Swiss company Astrasana. Under the agreement, Cantourage will make a selected range of a total of four high-quality medical flowers with a high THC content. To begin, patients in Switzerland will be able to obtain medical cannabis flowers from growers' LOT 420, Green Karat and Breathing Green from Canada.

“We are excited about this partnership with Cantourage that will allow us to bring high-quality medical cannabis flowers with a high THC content to the Swiss market,” stated Yves Antoniazzi, CEO of Astrasana. “This represents a significant step for Astrasana and a milestone in the supply of medical cannabis in Switzerland. The collaboration will allow us to meet the increasing demand for high-quality medical products and thus meet the needs of patients.”

United Kingdom: Families Desperate For Cannabis Oil

Spencer and Emily, the parents of Clover, a four-year-old girl with a rare genetic neurological disorder say they're pleased to have access to medical marijuana on the National Health Service (NHS). Clover, from Frome in Somerset, England suffers from Aicardi syndrome, which causes her to have hundreds of seizures a week, all of which are potentially deadly, writes the BBC.

"A seizure could kill her,” Emily said. “A seizure could undo everything she's learned. Seizures are extremely powerful, frightening and dangerous, and the risk to her is monumental. If we don't have the medication that keeps those seizures at bay, then goodness knows what would happen."

Traditional treatments have not worked for Clover, while cannabis oil reduces her seizures by 90%.

The problem? It is not widely available on the NHS, which means her parents need to pay at least £1,000 ($1,225) per month and obtain it via private practitioners.

"In 2018, we changed the law to allow specialist doctors to prescribe cannabis-based products, where clinically appropriate, and making it easier to conduct research on these products," said a spokesperson for the Department for Health & Social Care (DHSC). "We are taking an evidence-based approach to unlicensed cannabis-based treatments to ensure they are proved safe and effective before they can be considered for roll out on the NHS more widely."

This is not the only family in the UK struggling to obtain life-saving medicine for their children, even when paying for private prescriptions. The Mail recently reported about two families who were left no other choice but to travel to Holland and smuggle the oils back home, after there was a shortage of marijuana oil in the country.

France's Medical Marijuana Trial Benefiting Over 2.5K Patients Will Continue & More Euro-Cannabis Updates

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Photo: Benzinga edit with images by Claudio Schwarz and Brian Jones on Unsplash

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