With over 1,100 patients relying on Luxembourg’s medical cannabis program and hundreds of kilograms imported annually, the program’s popularity is significant. But recent changes could mean major challenges for those depending on it.
Medical cannabis has been the subject of a six-year pilot project in Luxembourg. The Government Council gave its preliminary approval for nationwide access to cannabis for medical purposes in 2017, with the official legalisation of prescriptions in August 2018.
The program was designed to provide access to cannabis to Luxembourgish patients, who are suffering from serious conditions such as cancer, chronic diseases, and multiple sclerosis. The medical cannabis includes dried flowering tops, oils containing THC and CBD, and other related medications.
Earlier this year, France, which launched its own pilot program in 2018, abruptly stopped supplying high-THC flowering tops to patients. Luxembourg has since followed suit with an unexpected announcement. On October 16, 2024, the Directorate of Health issued a circular, addressing hospital pharmacists and authorised prescribers, informing them that, starting January 1, 2025, cannabis flowering tops with high levels of THC will no longer be available. While this circular was released in mid-October, the news only came to light after Djuna Bernard (déi gréng), in a parliamentary question to Health Minister Martine Deprez, asked about the next phase of the medical cannabis program.
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