Sufferers in Greece are hopeful they’ll lastly see entry to authorized hashish medicines in 2023, six years for the reason that legislation was first amended.
The event of Greece’s first medicinal hashish manufacturing facility has been a very long time coming, say affected person advocates within the nation, the place hundreds are nonetheless counting on the illicit market regardless of the rescheduling of medical hashish in 2017.
On the finish of January, Tikun Olam Europe, a subsidiary of Israel-based hashish firm Tikun Olam, introduced operations had begun at Greece’s first medicinal hashish manufacturing plant.
The vertically-integrated manufacturing unit is situated on non-public land of 56,000 sq. metres in Korinthos, following an funding of greater than 40 million euros.
The ability has been welcomed by Greek officers and affected person organisations, with the primary merchandise anticipated to be in the marketplace later in 2023.
The Minister of Improvement and Investments, Mr Adonis Georgiadis, described it as a ‘historic day’ for Europe and a step in direction of offering Greek sufferers with ‘pharmaceutical hashish merchandise’.
Mr Georgiadis commented: “Immediately is a historic day not just for Europe and the funding in Korinthos, however as a result of as we speak we pave the best way for one thing that didn’t exist in Greece – a approach to offer Greek sufferers with pharmaceutical hashish merchandise. But in addition a approach for a product that we can export all through Europe, as a result of this unit has the power to make enormous exports to all the most important international locations of Europe and so Greece will play a number one position within the coming years, spearheaded by this manufacturing facility and the opposite factories that can come and work on what known as medical hashish.”
SYRIZA MP of Korinthos, Georgios Psychogios, added: “I want to level out that even if when this framework was made it was reprehensible by many, I’m glad that we at the moment are right here to observe the event of medical hashish for each traders and sufferers who will now be capable of entry these medicines.”
The background to medical hashish in Greece
The rescheduling of medical hashish to a schedule two drug, was first introduced by the then prime minister in 2017, following a marketing campaign by moms of youngsters with extreme epilepsy, which gathered over 45,000 signatures.
This meant that hashish might be legally prescribed and it was then authorized to be used in three circumstances: a number of sclerosis (MS), power ache and cancer-related cachexia.
In 2018, a extra in depth legislation was introduced in, outlining the licensing necessities for corporations wanting to provide medicinal hashish merchandise in Greece.
However since then progress has been gradual.
A handful of sufferers have been in a position to receive cannabis-based pharmaceutical medicine, resembling Epidyolex and Sativex, by way of particular person import requests, however the course of is prolonged and complex. On the finish of 2022, the primary affected person in Greece to obtain Sativex did so after an 18-month battle.
A ban on importing medical hashish
In November 2021, the Greek authorities launched a ban on the importation of hashish merchandise, which, as an EU member, goes towards the laws of the free market.
Sources within the nation consider the transfer was designed to guard the home market and supply an ‘incentive’ to exterior corporations to put money into Greece.
Nevertheless, it meant any progress in direction of a sturdy authorized medical hashish market stalled significantly.
“We had been one of many first in Europe [to legalise] and we’re going to be the final ones getting on the boat,” says Jacqueline Poitras, the founding father of affected person advocacy group MAMAKA who campaigned for entry to medicinal hashish for her daughter.
“The outlawing of the importation of hashish into Greece was a extremely large blow for us. [At the time] we had been in dialog with corporations attempting to get merchandise right here… however the ban meant we simply needed to sit and wait.”
Ms Poitras believes the ban on importation is unlikely to be eliminated underneath the present authorities, except an organization is prepared to take authorized motion within the European courts.
Founding father of MAMAKA, Jacqueline Poitras
Authorized cannabinoids and home-grow
Within the meantime, sufferers in Greece have been pressured to proceed accessing their drugs by way of the illicit market, both rising their very own or illegally importing oils.
Many simply depend on CBD, which is broadly accessible in retail shops and over-the-counter in pharmacies.
“Fortuitously, a really massive portion of the inhabitants does fairly effectively with CBD and we’ve a really wholesome authorized cannabinoid market right here. You’ll find CBG, CBN and just about all the minor cannabinoids,” Ms Poitras explains.
“However anybody who wants THC is ordering it from one other nation and all sufferers shopping for flower are doing so illegally. There’s an enormous underground motion of people who find themselves rising their very own.”
First authorized merchandise anticipated in 2023
The primary flower-based merchandise from Tikun Europe are anticipated later in 2023, with oils not anticipated to be prepared till the primary quarter of 2024.
An announcement from the federal government on 3 January 2023 confirmed that the price of these medicines wouldn’t be coated underneath the nation’s public medical health insurance system and would must be funded privately by sufferers.
Ms Poitras, who additionally represents Greece within the Worldwide Alliance of Cannabinoid Medicines (IACM) Affected person Council says the corporate is conscious that its first consideration is to make sure costs are reasonably priced for sufferers.
“The whole financial onus is on the shoulders of the sufferers,” she says.
“We’re anticipating the retail worth to be barely greater than the illicit market, at 11-12 euros per gram. For a time period they would be the solely ones in the marketplace, however we’ve a reasonably pleasant cooperation with them, and hopefully, we’ll be capable of work out methods to make this reasonably priced for sufferers.”
Quite a lot of different corporations are mentioned to be at numerous levels of the licensing course of, with extra amenities anticipated to be operational by 2024.
“A wholesome market wants selection; it wants competitors,” Ms Poitras provides.
“As soon as we get a bit of little bit of competitors in the marketplace that can deliver costs down.”
Hope on the horizon?
The current institution of a Greek Society for Cannabinoid Medicines (Hellenic Medical Affiliation for Cannabinoids, HMAC) – a physique which can formally characterize medical doctors, clinicians and pharmacists who’re within the subject of medical hashish – can also be an ‘vital transfer’ for the sector.
Elsewhere, Ms Poitras is hopeful that the addition of a paediatric neurologist to the committee advising the Greek Pharmaceutical Affiliation on medicinal hashish, may result in its approval to be used in youngsters with circumstances resembling epilepsy and autism.
Increasing the vary of circumstances for which hashish may be prescribed is one thing MAMAKA and different affected person advocates in Greece proceed to marketing campaign for.
“This can be a very large second,” says Ms Poitras.
“Sufferers are extra hopeful now as a result of we’re now not trying two years forward earlier than we are able to get authorized merchandise. We’re all the way down to the end line.”
She provides: “We are going to proceed to struggle for hashish to be coated by medical health insurance, however so long as we’re paying for it, we should always be capable of have it prescribed for any situation.”