Recreational use gets the headlines, but doctors increasingly prescribe cannabis as medicine. Medical cannabis patients have grown 80% since 2006, per official data.
The number of patients using cannabis on a doctor's prescription rose from 315 to 560 between 2006 and recent years—an 80% increase. These figures come from the Bureau for Medicinal Cannabis (BMC), under the Dutch Ministry of Health.
Cannabis as medicine? Since 2003, medicinal cannabis has been prescribed in the Netherlands, though it remains not officially registered as a pharmaceutical. It's commonly used by patients with rheumatism and multiple sclerosis (MS) for pain relief, and by those with AIDS or cancer to boost appetite. It also eases pain and nausea for chemotherapy patients.
Health Minister Edith Schippers shared these figures and insights in a letter to Parliament. While acknowledging benefits for specific patient groups, she emphasized that cannabis's effectiveness lacks rigorous scientific proof. The extent to which patients turn to coffee shops remains unknown, and it won't be added to the basic health insurance package.
