Key elements of legal environments for medical use of cannabis in different countries

Worldwide, a highly dynamic development of regulatory strategies for cannabis flowers and cannabis-derived products for medical use can be observed. Conditions laid down in the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs are basic, and implementation in countries is diverse.As early as 1998, the Netherlands was the first Member State of the European Union (EU) to establish a strategy to provide patient access to cannabis for medical use. Since then, more and more Member States of the European Union have facilitated access to cannabis for medical use. A comparable development has taken place outside Europe. This article describes the current situation in the Netherlands and presents selected highlights of developments within and outside Europe to demonstrate the broad spectrum of strategies. Key parameters are identified that should be considered when changing or amending regulatory frameworks on cannabis for medical use. In addition to the establishment of adequate regulatory frameworks, there is a substantial need to generate adequate scientific data.