Patients and families demand more and better information on medical cannabis

MD. Mariano García de Palau, medical director of Kalapa Clinic (Barcelona), Carola Pérez, president of dosemociones, Virginia Montañés from CERCA, and specialised lawyer César García Vidal led last September 30 the 1^st Symposium of Therapeutic and Medical Cannabis held in Granada, Southern Spain.

César García-Vidal, Mariano García Palau and Carola Pérez

The main components of cannabis plant have incredible therapeutic potential, with benefits on the health of patients with chronic pain, inflammatory diseases, sleep disorders, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia and many more.

Do those concerned in the therapeutic properties of cannabis know how it should be dispensed … and in which doses?

The 1^st Symposium of Therapeutic and Medical Cannabis has been the perfect setting to resolve doubts and exchange experiences. The main objective of the event was fulfilled successfully: to inform and assist all the participants from the medical, therapeutic and legal points of view.

Dr. Mariano García de Palau, Kalapa Clinic’s medical director, is one of the most recognized doctors in Spain in the use of treatment with cannabinoids. “Having our own laboratory allows us to work with a standardized product, so the patient always receives the same concentration of cannabinoids and we can dispense it accurately,” he states.

Currently, most of the patients who consult Kalapa Clinic professionals, consult on epilepsy in children and also on cancer. But to this day, they still have to pay 100% of their treatments, since the (Spanish) State does not offer any assistance. According to Dr. García de Palau, “the conventional medical community has begun to take interest in the evidence of the effectiveness of this type of treatment, but changes in public opinion are slower and take time.”

“I encourage self-cultivation; I think is very interesting. The act of growing already is therapeutic”, concludes.

In representation of the patient Association dosemociones, Carola Pérez affirmed: “It is in this kind of events where patients can learn the most, a question made by a participant is worth to three more”. Regarding the situation of therapeutic cannabis in Spain, there are very few doctors specialised in its use, and to Spain arrive patients from Sweden, France, Macedonia, Switzerland and various countries from Latin America.

“Lack of information sometimes leads to self-medication, which has risks, as the patient does not take what he/she really needs, so he/she doesn’t get a therapeutic effect. In this type of treatment there must always be a doctor behind, which takes into account contraindications in combination with other medications, and to advise on the proper dosage. Luckily, we are beginning to be aware that this is a public health problem”, observes Carola.

Mariano García de Palau, Carola Pérez and Virginia Montañés

Malú is on the patient’s side: “I had double interest because I am a therapist but I’m also a patient. Due to my illness, my family doctor was the first to recommend treatment with cannabinoids in order to alleviate the effects of chemotherapy. I have seen that it really works for the nausea, the most unpleasant aspect of chemo, and also whets the appetite. Precisely because of its effectiveness, would be important to regulate access to this type of medication,” she states.

The event has been organised by yesweskunk.com  in collaboration with Kannabia Seed Company. From Kannabia, they say that the idea came from the growing demand for therapeutic information, something that can be observed by all professionals of the world of cannabis. “We are not professional scientists, so we wanted to answer through this Symposium all those questions related to the medical field. The idea was to connect patients with professionals. So far we had organized lectures and seminars, but this time we wanted a more fluid communication between the parties,” says Zoe Molino, Kannabia’s manager.

El abogado César García Vidal

Distribution of the Conference space has been in the form of a round table setting. Doctors, lawyers, and specialists have answered to the questions asked by patients. “The full number of seats has all been occupied, which shows there is a demand for information. The environment has been plain, comfortable, very natural. And above all it has been very exciting, to deal with patients and see each case in particular,” explains Zoe.

Thus was completed the first edition of Symposium of Therapeutic and Medical Cannabis in Granada, a fluent conversation between patients, medical and legal professionals who have a common goal: to get access to the information on the use of cannabis to treat various diseases