Haarlem, August 30, 2003.

No longer to a coffeeshop for Mediweed.
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All pharmacies in the area will supply cannabis on prescription from Monday.

Haarlem – About 80 Haarlemmers that use cannabis as medicine no longer have to depend on coffeeshops. From Next Monday, September 1, cannabis is a recognised and legal medicine, available from pharmacies.
Hans Mulder, chairman of the Pharmacies Union in Haarlem, a pharmacist in Zandvoort himself, expects that all connected pharmacies in the region will be able to supply Mediweed on prescription. He considers it an important decision that patients for Mediweed will no longer have to depend on coffeeshops.
“Contrary to the coffeeshop on the corner, one will get a standardised product in the pharmacy”, says Mulder. “Besides that it is good that the pharmacist gets an insight in the use of cannabis by patients.”
Nol van Schaik, coffeeshop owner in Haarlem, and a fore fighter for the legalisation of Mediweed, is also pleased with the development.

“Through this decision, weed has become a legally recognised medicine”, according to van Schaik.
The coffeeshop owner already supplies Mediweed for many years (from 1996) to about 80 patients in and around Haarlem, for the buyers price.
“If and when the weed will be available from pharmacies, we will have reached our goal.”

Cannabis can prevent nausea after chemotherapy, eases the pain and reduces spasms, as well as it reduces the uncontrollable cry-outs and movements by people that suffer from Gilles de la Tourette syndrome.
Two cultivators that work exclusively for the Government are producing the Mediweed that will be in stock at the pharmacies soon.

After being harvested, the cannabis is being sterilised, wrapped in 5 gram portions and shipped to the pharmacies. That has a price, a gram of weed is going to cost about 9 to 11 Euros.
A socially concerned coffeeshop offers Mediweed for the buyers price to patients, a gram will cost them 3 to 4 Euros.

Other than the weed at coffeeshops, the pharmacy weed will have a constant composition and effect, with equal dosage.

The extra check-ups, after-education and the supply through a pharmacy also cause the difference in price. It is not known if the health-insurance companies are going to pick up the bills for the medicine.


Source: Haarlems Dagblad.
By Coen Springelkamp.
Pub. date: Aug 30, 2003.
Translation : Sinsemilla Guerrilla

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