Medicinal Marijuana Growing – Analysis of International Experience from the Regulative and Economic Perspective
Abstract
Background: Medicinal use of cannabis and related legislative proposals have been discussed in the Czech Republic lately; while it represents an emerging field and a challenge for regulation of its prescription and growth, given the elevated levels of cannabis use as an illicit drug. Aims: The aim of this article is to (i) bring an overview of regulative mechanisms for medicinal marijuana growing in countries were medicinal marijuana was made accessible and grown under local circumstances; (ii) assess the necessary size of field, number of plants and size of the crops to satisfy patients’ needs; (iii) discuss common prices for medicinal marijuana when grown within the borders of the national country, or at export.
Design: The study uses regulative documents, scientific articles, grey literature, internet sources, newspaper articles and email communication with institutional representatives in countries that had set up a regulatory framework for medicinal marijuana use and growing (Izrael, Canada, Netherlands, USA, Austria, and Great Brittain). Results: The thesis identifies some issues with setting up the size of the field and the number of plants, and concludes that the only guiding information is the individual consumption per patient, which in the existing medicinal marijuana modules ranges between 1 and 5 grams per day.
The thesis is discussing prices of medicinal marijuana in international perspective, concluding that the price ranges between the final and the wholesale price on illicit marijuana market. Conclusions: The article concludes that the most effective model for accessing medicinal marijuana in a national country is setting up an agency in accordance with international treaties, and licensing multiple growers, in order to achieve a quality product and effective pricing mechanisms.