Medicinal cannabis prescriptions on the rise, says Paulette Lenert

Currently, around 800 patients take THC or CBD products in the form of oils or flowers on prescription. Medical cannabis may only be obtained from hospital pharmacies - a requirement which is likely to remain in the future, according to a parliamentary response from the Minister of Health.

Paulette Lenert wrote that the practice was in accordance with the 2018 law on cannabis, which is unlikely to be changed. The products are not to be sold in regular pharmacies nationwide. The number of prescribed treatments using legal cannabis products are climbing, as figures show around 290 kilos of cannabis was imported into Luxembourg in 2022, compared to 160 kilos the previous year.

In 2021, around 2,400 prescriptions were issued for the products, climbing to 4,900 in 2022. In 2023, some 1,700 were issued in the first four months of the year, the majority of which were for hemp flowers.

Unlike other prescriptions, in these cases the doctor must prescribe a specific booklet for the drugs. This more complicated system is required, said Lenert, due to the fact that medicinal cannabis falls under narcotics laws. However, the restrictions on cannabis oil were lifted back in January 2023.

The above information was provided in response to a parliamentary question from Pirate MP Sven Clement. Lenert's reply included the fact that there is no information on patients with chronic pain being rejected from Luxembourgish therapy centres due to their cannabis prescriptions.

As for the decriminalisation of non-medicinal cannabis, the corresponding bill is underway. It will allow adult residents in Luxembourg to grow up to four cannabis plants at home. Hashish will be permitted to go on sale in 14 state-controlled stores, from two official suppliers, according to the pilot project. If the bill is approved, every customer in the country would be permitted to buy up to 30 grams of cannabis legally; however, non-residents are excluded from this permission.