Due to the fact that the legalization debate of cannabis for medical use has recently became a matter of public interest and following the approval by the joint parliamentary committees of a draft bill on the legal cultivation in Lebanon of cannabis for medical and industrial purposes, the Lebanese Psychiatric Society (LPS), the official body within the Lebanese Order of Physicians representing psychiatrists in Lebanon, will raise, in this statement, some concerns over the casual approach and misinformation that might accompany this debate.
As a matter of fact, we, as clinicians, have been dealing with controversies related to cannabis use and misuse long before this legalization debate. While the call for legalization has been mainly growing due to economical and social pressure, the LPS would like to remind the public opinion of the evidence-based scientific facts related to cannabis use and misuse.
Cannabis is considered a psychoactive substance (drug) out of many others (such as cocaine and heroin). It is complex and comes in a variety of forms, strengths and effects. Scientific research on the potential use of some components of cannabis in specific physical disorders (cancer, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, AIDS, etc.) has recently emerged, reflecting the therapeutic benefit that these components may convey when used in a well-studied pharmacologic formulation and under medical supervision.
It is important to emphasize that the harms of cannabis, in its natural form, is well known for at least a considerable proportion of people who use it. Mental disorders related to or induced by cannabis include addiction, anxiety, depression and psychosis. This aspect of cannabis is understated by its proponents in favor of the economic benefits for society along with its benefit for physical and mental health. Accordingly, it is highly interesting for the LPS to notify the Lebanese society that the current draft law regarding the legalization of cannabis concerns its cultivation for medical use only and does not address the recreational use of cannabis.
Furthermore, with the absence of any guarantee that this current draft law will benefit farmers and will not increase the prevalence of cannabis-use related disorders, the LPS encourages a further assessment, from all involved parties, of such a legalization.
Finally, the LPS would like to take this opportunity to call for a scientific debate on the proposals to legalize and/or decriminalize cannabis in Lebanon in the light of current scientific knowledge on the subject. Such a debate would better be led by the Lebanese parliament while involving all stakeholders such as the Lebanese Order of Physicians, the Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, etc. The LPS welcomes concrete steps to move it forward and offers all necessary contributions for the interest of patients and the health of the nation.