MPs postpone cannabis bill until after elections

Lawmakers have decided to postpone discussion of a government bill allowing the cultivation, distribution and provision of medical cannabis until the House reconvenes after the January 2018 presidential elections.
MPs decided to roll over the discussion into 2018 as there was not enough time to put the proposed legislation to the plenum this year because over the next few weeks the House will have its hands full voting on the budget.
But Costas Constandinou (Disy), chair of the House health committee, said on Thursday that the bill had ‘overwhelming support’ from MPs.
Once the law is enacted, the government plans to issue two licenses for the cultivation, distribution and export of medical cannabis.
This will be done after a tender process.
The government’s stated aim is to attract international investors to the island, in a move that is hoped will also boost research and development in the pharmaceutical industry.
During Thursday’s discussion in parliament, main opposition Akel raised a number of concerns.
Akel claims the bill as it stands does not ensure the cannabis will be distributed only to people with a real medical need for it, such as cancer patients.
“With this legislation, are we in fact bringing drugs into Cyprus through the back door?” asked Akel MP Georgios Georgiou.
Speaking to the Cyprus Mail, Disy’s Constandinou said these fears were unfounded.
“The entire process, from production to distribution, will be strictly regulated. For example, the cannabis labs to be operated by the successful bidders will be monitored by cameras everywhere, with access restricted to authorised personnel only.”
Constandinou confirmed that the labs would grow and market cannabidiol (CBD) which, unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is completely non-psychoactive.
Preclinical trials over the past four decades have shown that cannabinoid shows promise as an anti-inflammatory, an antioxidant, an antidepressant and as an anti-tumoral agent.
CBD is often used by patients in the form of an oil. Patients with more chronic conditions such as cancer and epilepsy often use extracted from high-CBD varieties of cannabis.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.