Dutch Measures to Control Medical Grade Marijuana: Facilitating Clinical Trials

There is an emerging interest in the clinical use of cannabis (marijuana), but there is almost no evidence of its efficacy. The Dutch government has a policy that aims at collecting clinical data to determine whether cannabis can be used as a medicine. An Office of Medicinal Cannabis was established in March 2000. This office will act as a regulator for the horticulture of cannabis and for clinical trials, as required by the Single Convention on narcotic drugs. It will also coordinate the research that can be done with several dosage forms of varying composition and for multiple indications. Several aspects of these elements are described. The office will also see to the prevention of leakage of the cannabis crops to illicit circuits. To this end growers will be contracted under certain conditions only. The manufacturing of the finished medicinal products will be a matter of private companies in a “free” market, regulated by the requirements of the Single Convention.