{"id":5209,"date":"2026-11-09T10:42:51","date_gmt":"2026-11-09T09:42:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marisana.es\/first-anniversary-of-the-legalization-of-medicinal-cannabis-in-spain\/"},"modified":"2026-11-09T10:49:04","modified_gmt":"2026-11-09T09:49:04","slug":"first-anniversary-of-the-legalization-of-medicinal-cannabis-in-spain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marisana.es\/en\/first-anniversary-of-the-legalization-of-medicinal-cannabis-in-spain\/","title":{"rendered":"First anniversary of the legalization of medicinal cannabis in Spain"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"legalisation<\/p>\n

In this article, we are pleased to celebrate this development and update the information we provided in an earlier post on our blog, \"Therapeutic Cannabis in Spain: Sativex and Crumbs<\/a>\"<\/strong>, in which we discussed the imminent introduction of legislation by the authorities to regulate the use of medicinal cannabis in our country.<\/h5>\n\n
The regulatory process for medicinal cannabis began in October 2021 with the creation of a subcommittee in the Spanish Congress of Deputies. A document was drawn up in June 2022 and submitted for consultation on two occasions. After undergoing a review by the European Union, and following sustained efforts by numerous patient groups, the Spanish Observatory for Medicinal Cannabis (OECM)<\/a><\/strong> and several political parties across the parliamentary spectrum, the legislation was finally approved on 7 October 2025, with the publication of Royal Decree 903\/2025<\/strong><\/a> in the Official State Gazette (BOE).<\/h5>\n\n
This Royal Decree, which celebrated its first anniversary just over a month ago, places considerable restrictions on the use of medicinal cannabis: it may only be prescribed by specialist doctors, not general practitioners, and it may only be dispensed through hospital pharmacies, not community pharmacies on the high street<\/strong>.<\/h5>\n\n
Patient associations consider both provisions to be a serious mistake, as they significantly restrict patients' access to medicinal cannabis treatments.<\/h5>\n\n
The Royal Decree drafted by the Ministry of Health also fails to specify which conditions may be treated, leaving these to be determined and adjusted in line with scientific evidence.<\/h5>\n\n
As a result, the decree excludes many conditions for which patients are already reporting benefits, such as fibromyalgia, anxiety, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder and migraines.<\/h5>\n\n
In the words of many specialists, \u201cIt does not go far enough and will not solve patients' real problems, addressing only a very specific part of them.<\/em>\u201d<\/h5>\n\n
The general view among the sectors involved is that the scope of the legislation does not fully reflect the actual needs identified in clinical practice.<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>
\"legalizaci\u00f3n<\/div><\/div><\/a>
The community pharmacy profession advocates for an active role in the formulation and monitoring of medicinal cannabis treatments.<\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Key Features of the Regulations<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n