Amsterdam
Dutch doctors began prescribing marijuana for medicinal purposes this week. Recreational pot smoking has long been tolerated in the Netherlands, but this marks the first time the drug has been approved as medicine. The government has contracted with two local farms to grow the pot, which is used as a pain reliever and an appetite stimulant, primarily for patients with cancer, AIDS, or multiple sclerosis. About 7,000 patients are eligible for the marijuana prescriptions, which can be filled at Dutch pharmacies. Canada, Germany, and Australia also allow restricted use of medicinal marijuana, but the Netherlands is the first country to actually provide the drug and regulate its quality.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
-
The daily gossip: Robert De Niro claims someone censored his anti-Trump awards speech, Tiffany Haddish promises to 'get some help' after latest DUI arrest, and moreThe daily gossip: November 28, 2023
-
A brief timeline of Russia's war in Ukraine
In Depth How the Kremlin's plan for a quick conquest turned into a quagmire
-
Is Trump's renewed attack on the Affordable Care Act a blessing in disguise for Democrats?
Today's Big Question By setting his sights on "Obamacare" this weekend, the Republican presidential frontrunner may have accidentally given Biden an early holiday present
