The Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina published on the eKonzultacije portal a proposal for a decision to amend the List of Narcotic Drugs, which initiated a procedure that could enable the legal use of cannabis for medical purposes. Public consultations will last 15 days, and all interested parties – citizens, experts and institutions – can submit their suggestions and comments.
According to the proposed changes, cannabis is moved from the list of prohibited substances to the list of substances under strict control. This would keep its production, distribution and use under control, but cannabis-based preparations could be issued as medicines only with a doctor’s prescription, similar to the case with substances such as fentanyl, ketamine or cocaine.
This initiative is aligned with the recommendations of the World Health Organization and the resolution of the United Nations Commission from December 2020, which removed cannabis from the list of particularly dangerous substances. As a signatory to international conventions on drug control, Bosnia and Herzegovina is obliged to adapt its regulations to those changes.
In the European Union, the medical use of cannabis is already regulated in 21 countries, including Croatia, Germany, Italy, France and Slovenia. In Croatia, for example, drugs containing cannabinoids are prescribed to patients suffering from multiple sclerosis, cancer, AIDS and epilepsy.
Although the medical use of cannabis is still prohibited in BiH, preparations with cannabinoids are already present on the market, most often through unofficial channels and at high prices, without quality and safety supervision. The Ministry warns that legal regulation would allow patients access to proven drugs and at the same time suppress the black market.
The initiative was taken by the Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH, after the Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices of BiH declared itself incompetent to change the list. The Commission for Suppression of Narcotic Drug Abuse, chaired by Minister Dubravka Bošnjak, formed a working group that is preparing a draft of amendments to the Law on Suppression of Narcotic Drug Abuse.
At the next session of the Commission, the introduction of new psychoactive substances to the list will be considered, with the aim of modernizing the regulations that have not been changed since 2012. The Ministry invites all interested parties to participate in public consultation and contribute to the adoption of legal solutions that will enable the safe, controlled and medically justified use of cannabis in Bosnia and Herzegovina, writes Acts.
