Poland and the Hope of Making Medical Cannabis Accessible for Patients

Laws relating to medical cannabis in Poland are some of the strictest in Europe. Possession of a small quantity of marijuana can result in up to three years in prison, and if the amount is “considerable” (something the law does not specify with precision), the sentence can rise to ten years.

However, an important section of society believes that the situation must start to change, at least with regard to medical consumption. In March, 11 epileptic children in the country began to receive medical marijuana treatments afters the Constitutional Court decided that this type of cannabis should be regulated if it has benefits for sick patients. This gave hope to those battling to ensure the plant can be consumed by those who need it.

However, soon after this, the police entered the homes of other patients and arrested Jacob Gajewski, an activist and vice-president of the Wolne Konopie movement that calls for liberalisation of marijuana use. At the time, Gajewski was in possession of a large amount of cannabis extract destined for patients who were seriously ill from cancer. The fact of the matter is that although the cannabis extract Sativex is available under prescription in Poland, only a few people with certain illnesses can use it, and the monthly treatment price is almost equal to the average salary.

In order to avoid this type of cases, there are people such as the politician Patryk Jaki (from the Solidarna Polska party), who propose a change in laws relating to medical marijuana. Jaki believes that it should be authorised always with a medical prescription and under the supervision of a doctor. He is proposing this as a measure devised for ill patients with no type of addiction who suffer illnesses such as multiple sclerosis or Aids. These patients would then be able to obtain a certificate or medical prescription determining the type, quantity and frequency of marijuana use.