Regulations
Article 1 of the Regional Law 18/2012 states: " The Tuscany Region, pursuant to Article 117, third paragraph, of the Constitution, in compliance with the limits deriving from state legislation, dictates organizational provisions relating to the use of cannabinoid drugs for therapeutic purposes by operators and structures of the regional health service, without prejudice to the principles of autonomy and responsibility of the doctor in the therapeutic choice and scientific evidence."
What is Medical Cannabis?
One of the uses of the Cannabis Sativa L. plant (Indica and Sativa) is the medical one.
For medical use , it is permitted to use plants containing both THC ( tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol), the two main active ingredients of the plant. The genetic varieties of plants vary according to the content of the active ingredients and consequently also the derived pharmaceutical and galenic products.
Production
Following the entry into force of the legislation, the Military Pharmaceutical Center of Florence was identified as the production site for Therapeutic Cannabis. Cannabis production began in 2015 following the collaboration agreement between the Institute and the Ministry of Defense and Health. The cannabis project involves the standardized cultivation of clones of the plant and the pharmaceutical processing of the female inflorescence through drying, grinding and packaging, according to a note from the institution. In recent years, the plant has increasingly increased its cannabis production, but supply is still far from demand and it is necessary to import raw materials from abroad (the Netherlands above all and Canada), with a greater expenditure of economic resources.
Accessibility
Article 3 of the Regional Law concerns the areas of application: “ Cannabinoid drugs can be prescribed, with costs borne by the regional health service (SSR), by the SSR specialist doctor and by the general practitioner, on the basis of the therapeutic plan drawn up by the SSR specialist doctor. The specific provisions set out in the current legislation regarding medical prescription methods remain unchanged. “
In essence, in Tuscany it is possible for SSR doctors to prescribe therapeutic Cannabis only to residents or domiciled in the territory of competence. For reimbursement, the prescription must follow a therapeutic plan drawn up by a specialist doctor and must concern one of the pathologies listed above (in this case only the payment of the ticket based on the income bracket is foreseen). It is prescribable and fully paid for, even for other ascertained pathologies not included among those foreseen by the legislation.
The reimbursable prescription pathologies are multiple sclerosis , chronic pain , oncological pain , neuropathic pathologies , Tourette's syndrome .
And in the rest of the country?
In Italy, in general, therapeutic cannabis can be prescribed by the NHS, always upon presentation of the therapeutic plan issued by a specialist, to patients who suffer from certain pathologies or health conditions resulting from the pathologies themselves: multiple sclerosis , cancer patients undergoing specific treatments (chemotherapy), chronic pain , neurological and neurodegenerative pathologies , rheumatological pathologies (fibromyalgia, lupus, arthrosis, etc.), ocular glaucoma , gynecological pathologies (vulvodynia) and gastrointestinal pathologies (cachexia, anorexia). The prescribability, methods and pathologies included vary from Region to Region.
Sources :
Cannabisterapeutica.info https://www.cannabisterapeutica.info/it/toscana.html
Toscananotizie.it https://www.toscana-notizie.it/-/cannabis-terapeutica-la-regione-detta-le-regole-per-la-sua-associazione