Finally, after more than a year of experimentation, the first Italian production of medicinal cannabis will arrive in Italian pharmacies next August. While the Italians will be on their way back from their well-deserved vacation, the Pharmaceutical Chemical Institute of Florence will release around 2,400 jars of medical cannabis, which will be distributed to pharmacies across the country.
This will be the first made in Italy marijuana trance, grown starting from 120 that arrived from the CREA research center in Rovigo. The Pharmaceutical Chemical Institute of Florence currently has two industrial greenhouses 25 m² each, active in a continuous cycle. The director of the plant, Colonel Antonio Medica, is convinced that it is possible to produce up to 100 kilos of product per year using the cuttings produced by these greenhouses.
Until now, all the Italian marijuana consumed in Italy was imported to Holland at a very high price (almost € 20 per gram). There are four different Dutch cannabis varieties, but two are the most widely used, therefore, of the Italian production, about 50 kilos will be similar to Bediol and 50 kilos will be similar to Bedrocan.
Since 2013 it has been possible in Italy for any doctor to prescribe cannabis. In practice, few do it, because it is an off-label prescription, in which there is no scientific information on dosages and administration times
Medical marijuana is now used all over the world for a very wide range of applications ranging from pain relief, both temporary and chronic, to stimulating sleep, increasing appetite in cancer and HIV patients, to reducing the effects. side effects of chemotherapy such as nausea and vomiting; in the symptomatic treatment of multiple sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, ALS and other degenerative diseases of the nervous system, in the prevention of glaucoma, in the regulation of menstrual disorders; much research indicates that it can even defeat many types of cancer.
It is therefore a fundamental step for Italy, and many already hope that after this initial phase under the control of the Military Pharmaceutical Chemical Institute, we can move on to a more extensive production in the hands of individuals who possess the requirements, and in this way arrive at a decisive lowering of the price. In fact, at this stage already at the level of reimbursement of production costs, marijuana costs almost € 6 per gram, to which distribution costs must be added. These costs can certainly be reduced for the benefit of patients in the national health system.
In addition to its cost it will be necessary to train doctors, so that prescribing cannabis when appropriate and convenient becomes the norm, and not something experimental, off limit or reserved only for clients of enlightened doctors.
