Police would accept decriminalization of medical marijuana if experts see benefits

RIGA - Police would accept the decriminalization of medical marijuana if experts see benefits from it, LETA was told at the State Police.

The State Police is generally against decriminalizing the use of marijuana, as it can pose safety risks, but if professionals in the field see benefits of its use for medical purposes and the substance is prescribed by doctors, then this would be acceptable, police representatives said.

Psychotropic substances are already used in medicine, but their circulation is strictly controlled, the State Police added.

As reported, State Police chief Armands Ruks said in February that he does not support the decriminalization of drug use, but if experts agreed on that, he would not be opposed to a legal use of marijuana for medical purposes.

At the beginning of April, the board of the Progressives party decided to press ahead with the proposal to legalize medical marijuana - capsules, extracts, tablets -, stressing that medical marijuana should be part of the Latvian healthcare system.

The Progressives argue that medical cannabis in the form of tablets, capsules or extracts can be the most effective or even the only solution for patients with chronic pain, nausea, muscle spasms and other symptoms associated with conditions such as multiple sclerosis or cancer.

Highly regulated drugs such as opioids and fentanyl patches are already prescribed to certain patients, assessing all the the indications and risks. In other countries, cannabis-containing products are also prescribed as such highly controlled medicines.

According to the Progressives, the current forbidding regulation forces patients to buy or import marijuana or its preparations illegally. "Patients do not discuss the issue with their health care providers and can choose wrong dozes or an unsuitable product, thus harming themselves," the party argues.