ROUND TABLE Next steps for the availability of cannabis-based therapy in BiH

(Patria) - The Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina organized a round table titled "Cannabis for Medical Purposes - The Path Towards Available Therapy in Bosnia and Herzegovina", with the aim of opening an institutional dialogue on establishing a safe, legally regulated, and medically based system for the use of cannabis-based medicines.

The meeting brought together representatives of competent institutions, health authorities, regulatory bodies, professional chambers, the medical and pharmaceutical community, as well as patient associations.

One of the key goals of the round table was to precisely define the next mandatory steps for all institutions involved in this process, in order to accelerate the adoption of necessary bylaws, expert guidelines, and operational procedures through coordinated action.

The ultimate goal of all activities is to establish a functional system in which patients in BiH, based on a doctor's prescription and in accordance with medical indications, will be able to obtain safe, registered, and controlled cannabis-based preparations in pharmacies.

The round table was opened by the Minister of Civil Affairs of BiH, Dubravka Bošnjak, who reminded that the Council of Ministers of BiH, at the proposal of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, removed the fundamental legal obstacle for the medical use of cannabis more than four months ago, after more than ten years of stagnation.

"This is an important step towards aligning the domestic system with modern medical practices, scientific knowledge, and the real needs of patients for whom standard therapies often do not yield satisfactory results," the Minister emphasized.

She stressed that changing the regulatory status is only the initial phase of the process, and that the establishment of an operational framework is yet to come, which must include clear procedures for drug registration, therapy prescription, pharmacovigilance, distribution, quality control, and expert supervision.