Promotion of liberal cannabis policies in RN Macedonia | CCM
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Promotion of liberal cannabis policies in RN Macedonia

Initiator: , NGO Kanabis Institute Pelagonija, Prilep

Problem description

As of February 2016, Macedonia is in a small group of progressive countries that have adopted a more liberal attitude towards the cannabis plant (or better known as marijuana) and its products. Amendments to the Law on Control of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances have allowed the cultivation, processing and marketing of cannabis products. This change was intended to help treat several types of diagnoses, ie to facilitate the lives of people suffering from cancer, epilepsy and other diseases. The above-mentioned law is a good starting point for further liberalization of cannabis, ie the manner of its production, processing and sale, but that situation is far from ideal. It allows the existence of 2 types of economic operators, namely: manufacturers and processors. But in any case, to be part of one or the other operator, you need large financial resources. This situation means that entering the cannabis market is not allowed for everyone, ie. they are allowed only to big players and with that a big discrimination is made towards the ordinary Macedonian citizen. Today in RS Macedonia, about 59 legal entities are registered for cultivation and processing of cannabis, but all those companies are limited in the process of selling their products, due to lack of bylaws. On the other hand, the number of diagnoses for which cannabis treatment is allowed is limited to only 4 groups of diseases, while world experience shows that cannabis can be used to treat more than 100 different diagnoses. According to world and domestic analyzes, in each country, including Macedonia, the number of consumers is about 7%, or in our case it is about 100,000 citizens. This is a very interesting informal group that can be a great filler for the state budget.

Proposed solution

The solution to this problem would be the following direction: - formation of a national coalition to promote the integration of cannabis in Macedonian society (composed of: NGOs, educational institutions, medical institutions and the private sector) - preparation and launch of a project to promote cannabis (12 -18 months, with a budget of 250,000 euros, minimum 6 employees), which would include: - development of a national strategy for cannabis - development of a new lex specialis, for cannabis - establishment of a technical working group, composed of representatives of relevant line ministries - analysis and definition of a wide list of diagnoses, for which cannabis can be used - development of new additional teaching curricula at the faculties for: agriculture, pharmacy and medicine, for new appropriate job profiles and - preparation and implementation of a promotional campaign for the benefits of cannabis in Macedonian society.

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