German doctors welcomed news that the government plans to make it easier for the seriously ill to gain access to cannabis, a newspaper report said Wednesday.
Treatment using medicines that contain the active ingredients in cannabis could be worthwhile for certain patients, the Neue Osnabruecker daily quoted the president of the German Chamber of Doctors, Frank Ulrich Montgomery, as saying.
The patients who would benefit from treatment include those with neurological disorders like multiple sclerosis, those with spasmodic pain, and patients with illnesses having multiple symptoms like pain, lack of appetite, nausea and depression, he said.
The government wants to give seriously ill patients access to cannabis by prescription from 2016 with insurance companies footing the bill.
Those suffering from pain who grow their own cannabis at home could still be prosecuted. Possession, cultivation and dealing in cannabis will remain illegal.
GNA
