At least 23 European countries permit some form of cannabis use for medical purposes, albeit regulatory frameworks differ largely [18,19]. In some countries, such as Spain, only cannabinoid-based preparations are approved for select diseases (e.g. Nabiximols [20]), while other countries, such as Germany or UK, have established a more liberal approach, which allows (specialist) physicians to prescribe unprocessed herbal cannabis for certain illnesses [21,22]. Based on a growing body of evidence supporting the therapeutic potential of cannabis [23], the World Health Organization recommended that cannabis should be rescheduled in order to facilitate medicinal regulations in member states. With some delays, the rescheduling was carried out in December 2020 by the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs [24]. It is now reasonable to expect more European countries to follow this decision and legalise unprocessed herbal cannabis for medical purposes.
