German 'FDA' permits medicinal marijuana for the first time

From What's up in Deutschland? -

German doctors have fought hard for years to get marijuana legalized as a medicine to help their terminally ill patients, suffering from multiple sclerosis, cancer or HIV to obtain their medicine legally.

After a lot of good news about the U.S. loosening the ties on medicinal marijuana, Germany now slowly recedes from its' conservative attitude towards the medicinal use of marijuana.

For the first time, the German 'Bundesopiumstelle' has given permission to 7 patients enabling them to buy and consume medicinal marijuana.

"We are possibly able to help some patients with Cannabis", Winfried Kleinert, the head of the Bundesopiumstelle, said. "There is a big number of case series that indicate a positive effect."

Franjo Grotenhermen, the chairman of "Arbeitsgemeinschaft Cannabis als Medizin" (Association Medicinal Cannabis) confirmes that. For years he has been committed to help patients who need cannabis as a medicine to get out of illegality and he often has received reports of the beneficial effect of cannabis. "Those people are severely ill and don't respond to conventional treatments."

Grotenhermen and Kleinert see opportunities for application especially for people with chronic pains, multiple sclerosis, tourette syndrom, cancer and HIV.

read more digg story