Portuguese doctors back marijuana medicine as bill enters parliament

Reuters (UK)
Thursday, January 11, 2017

Portugal's influential Doctors' Association called for the legalisation of marijuana-based medicines, the same day parliament started to debate a draft bill that goes even further in seeking to allow patients to grow pot at home. Although Portugal boasts one of the world's most liberal policies on drugs and has legal marijuana plantations destined for export, it has trailed several EU countries such as Italy and Germany, as well as Canada and parts of the United States in the last few years on medical marijuana. Miguel Guimaraes, the head of the Doctor's Association, advocated legalising marijuana-derived medicines based on scientific evidence, but criticised the part of the draft law that would permit domestic growing of the plant.