13 companies have already sent their application to the Danish Medicines Agency ahead of the medicinal cannabis plan. The medical plan surrounding cannabis includes making it available for Danish people who suffer from multiple sclerosis or terminal cancer to take as an alternative to prescription medication.
Danish medical plan
The plan to provide medical cannabis will start in January 2018. The Copenhagen Post reports that the medical cannabis will become part of a four-year trial and patients will be able to get it on prescription. The Danish Parliament still has to work on the specific details of how the trial will work next year.
The Danish Parliament has already set aside 22 million Kroner for the project. If the project turns out to be successful in the long-term, there is potential for making it part of the permanent healthcare system in Denmark for patients who have terminal diseases or incurable diseases.
Companies who have applied in Denmark are hoping to be able to cultivate cannabis for medicinal purposes and help drive down the exporting and cultivation costs for any domestic patients who qualify for the trial, according to the Denmarks Radio. Denmark is one of the few countries where recreational cannabis is legal and the other is Belgium.
Liselott Brix, the spokesperson for the Danish People's Party, predicted that the growth of Danish people wanting to cultivate medical cannabis could foster competition and bring down the price of cannabis.
However, that does not mean it would be a costly affair in establishing the licenses or permits surrounding the trial.
The agreement report cited by BBC News about the trial that was translated from Danish, states that it is supposed to establish a framework for going forward if the program proves successful. Some patients who use illegal drugs to ease their pain will be able to find a legal alternative that can be used in a secure environment.
The report notes that the achievement would see doctors prescribe medical cannabis, allowed by the Danish Parliament, to their patients so that there is no need for illegal alternatives.
Cannabis cost
It costs around $935 US dollars a month to treat a patient with cannabis according to the BBC. The final version of the law was revealed around October of this year and will model that of the Netherlands where medical cannabis has been established since 2003. The final approval of the trial is set to take place towards the end of the 2017 year of the Danish Parliament.
