Cannabis – from hippie drug to medical hype (SRF, 25.04.2022)
The SRF documentary on Medical Cannabis provides an overview on the current market situation
Key takeouts:
- good results on patients using the medicine
- high prices for patient due to 1 company dominant position
- flowers are not yet available as medicine (it will only be available with the #pilotprojects
- medical Cannabis still need to evolve from a current “medicine of the last resort”, to a plant based medicine; Doctors need to be trained on the topic
what did the documentary miss?
- many other pharmacies are actually already providing Cannabis as “magistral formula” at lower prices; Doctors should not send all their patient to just 1 pharmacy
- a quick overview on the amount of medical studies conducted at international level on the medical cannabis topic
- Cannabis should not only be available as medicine; modern regulation needs to be put in place framing both medical and nonmedical use of oils and flowers.
Summary of the documentary
At the end of summer, cannabis will go from being a banned intoxicant to a legal medicine. The active ingredient THC is only recognized as effective in a few areas. For chronic pain, for example. A miracle cure for some, it doesn’t help others. How great is the medical potential of cannabis really?
Swiss pioneer – the cannabis pharmacist
Manfred Fankhauser has been fighting for cannabis as a medicine for a good thirty years. For a long time, the pharmacist from Emmental was the only one in Switzerland who was officially allowed to produce medicines containing THC. Today, he is the expert on cannabis in medicine. What drives him? What does he hope for from the relaxation of the law?
High hurdle – How to get cannabis as medicine
“Pulse” reporter Nicole Westenfelder is a neuropathic pain patient. How easy is it to get the necessary authorization? Nicole Westenfelder on the search for her personal cannabis medicine.
An overview – Who does THC really help?
The active ingredient in cannabis, THC, has scientifically proven effects on the body and psyche. But do THC and the second known cannabinoid CBD help with many more diseases than is known today? An overview of the study situation.
“Puls kompakt” – Tips for the correct handling of cannabis.
Starting this summer, doctors will be allowed to prescribe THC-containing drugs like other opiates. But even then, only individual health insurance companies will pay for individual indications. So should you buy cannabis on the black market or grow your own weed? “Pulse” gives tips on what to look out for if you want to use cannabis as a medicine.