Medical marijuana – high time the Dutch got their message straight
The Netherlands had been at the forefront of medical cannabis policy but has now been overtaken by many other countries
Friday, March 24, 2017
The Netherlands is a major exporter of medical marijuana, even though it has never been formally approved here as a treatment for Dutch patients. And this year, the majority of Dutch health insurance companies stopped paying for it as well. Medical cannabis has been allowed on prescription in the Netherlands since 2003 and until recently was often covered by health insurers, if patients could show no other medication gave adequate relief of symptoms. Meanwhile, patients who have found benefit from medical cannabis are left dealing with the change in insurers positions.