Reina Sankari for Curacao Chronicle
WILLEMSTAD – Loquacious talk about medicinal cannabis among experts & non-experts has been happening on the island of Curacao, analysis, benefits & legalization are many strenuous aspects among others that require immediate attention, European Union, society, policymakers, patients and scientific institutions are acknowledging the need for a well-regulated the medicinal cannabis market in the EU and Curacao must be on par with these developments.
What is known till now is that marijuana can be a useful medical treatment for several conditions, the conducted researches so far are complicated as the drug itself, some studies show that marijuana may provide relief for patients with anxiety, chronic pain, and cancer yet others find that the drug may worsen some mental health conditions, the chemical equation is simple, Cannabis refers to a group of three plants with psychoactive properties(affecting the mind or the behavior), known as Cannabis Sativa, Cannabis Indica and Cannabis Ruderalis, when the flowers of these plants are harvested and dried, what is left of this process is called weed, pot or marijuana, the Cannabis is made up of more than 120 components, which are known as cannabinoids, experts know only two of them, known as cannabidiol or CBD (won’t get you high) & tetrahydrocannabinol or THC (the main psychoactive that gets you high).
In general, Cannabis are illegal, they have a high potential for abuse and dependency among users(on the substance), but some countries are legalizing it only for medical use, among these countries is the Netherlands, it has been a frontrunner in the applications of medical cannabis in healthcare, lately, it is planning to introduce new varieties using a closed climate system(indoor growing) and ultra-modern LED lighting to accelerate harvest and results, also France will allow imports of cannabis-based medical treatments products from 7 licensed companies to begin on an experimental basis, this will include oils, tablets and dried flowers to inhale in addition to the psychoactive component of marijuana THC, the trial is for two years period, with more than 3,000 patients expected to be the first to receive the new drugs for specific conditions including severe epilepsy, nervous disorders, palliative care, multiple sclerosis, and side effects of chemotherapy.
What is encouraging to move forward is that scientists observed the level of THC which is the major psychoactive agent & realized that If the plant has less than 0.3% THC, it is designated hemp which is different from the CBD oil, production-wise, CBD oil uses the stalks, leaves, and flowers of the plant, which contains a higher concentration of it, while hemp oil comes from the small seeds of the Cannabis sativa plant, farmers wanting to grow valuable hemp plants need a way to know that the plants contain little to no THC, otherwise, they would be growing marijuana which is illegal to have and grow, recently a new hemp scanner was developed by a team at Texas A&M University USA that can distinguish hemp from THC, the same thing will be applied for the CBD, it is an invention of its kind having the ability to distinguish among different varieties of hemp and marijuana, there are thousands of varieties of cannabis many of questionable quality, this scanner doesn’t damage any of the product, the university says It uses a method of scanning that identifies a material’s structure, similar to that of taking a fingerprint with almost 98% accuracy, they will start a mass production of these scanners to fulfill the growing need of this industry and to make sure to maximize the benefits and minimize costs.
What matters is what the data and the science tell us, we don’t want to end up like Holland selling drugs in coffee shops without regulating the suppliers and the production that is still illegal, planning and researches are two major aspects for any successful business, Curacao medical Cannabis new industry must be aware of the new developments worldwide in technology, advanced agriculture, and scientific findings, it has to unlock the key to profiting off from the coming marijuana boom.
Bron: Curacao Chronicle