It is possible to access medical therapy with the use of drugs based on cannabis, the Polish Health Ministry has said.

Janusz Palikot, Polish politician wants to waive his parliamentary mandate in favor of Andrzej Dołecki, leader of the “Free Hemp” association, so that he could fight for the freedom of his parents imprisoned for transporting RSO oil into Poland.

Andrzej Dołecki

Andrzej Dołecki, leader of the “Free Hemp (Wolne Konopie )” has a chance to become a politician for 2 months till the end of the parliamentary cadence. Janusz Palikot said that by this action he wanted to support case of Andrzej Dołecki parent’s that are accused of irrational allegation of transporting one liter of RSO oil into Poland.

Speaker of Poland's lower house of parliament Małgorzata Kidawa-Błonska has said the issue of widening availability of medical marijuana could be taken up at the house's forthcoming sitting next week.

Kidawa Błonska, a member of senior coalition partner Civic Platform, noted that Health Minister Marian Zembała “agrees with me that this problem has to be dealt with.”

She likewise referred to studies that “appear to confirm that medical marijuana can help in the treatment of many diseases.”

WARSAW, Poland - Polish police have arrested eight people suspected of dealing "designer drugs" after more than 200 people were sickened by them in recent days.

The drugs consist of powerful psychoactive substances sold as powders or ground leaves with warnings that they not be ingested, language that has so far allowed them to be sold in a legal grey zone. Officials warn that their effects can be several times stronger than that of marijuana.

Since Thursday, more than 200 people have been hospitalized for poisoning by the drugs in and around the western city of Katowice.

Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz said Monday that her government plans to crack down on people producing and distributing the drugs, while health officials appealed to people not to use them.

A survey has indicated that Poles are strongly in favour of permitting the use of marijuana for medical treatment, with some 68 percent backing the policy.

According to the PBS survey, 42 percent of respondents said the drug should be provided if doctors recommend such treatment, while 26 percent said it should be available unconditionally.

Only 18 percent supported the continuation of the current restrictions, while 14 percent said that they did not know either way.

At present there is only one exception to the law in Poland, in cases where patients are suffering from multiple sclerosis. However, the cost of the monthly prescription is about PLN 4,000.

Medical Marijuana. Two-thirds of respondents want medical marijuana allowed in Poland - the results of a special survey carried out on behalf of PBS Radio TOK FM, Wyborcza.pl and the Foundation Step By Step. This is the first such study in our country.

In the survey, 42 percent. of respondents said they use marijuana or products derived therefrom in Polish medicine and should be allowed, but only in accordance with medical indications. Another 26 per cent consider that such treatment should be available without restriction.

During the last few months in Poland, cannabis has been receiving a good deal of attention. This is a result of a few events - both positive and negative - which have placed the issue of cannabis regulation in the mainstream media limelight.

Cannabis Activist Arrested

Historic cannabis oil victory

Cannabis in Poland is illegal, with no medicinal cannabis program in place for patients who could potentially benefit from the multi-purpose plant.

Historic cannabis oil victory

But things are changing in Poland. Activists and patients recently rejoiced when Maks, a 5 year old suffering from medication-resistant epilepsy, was allowed to be treated legally with cannabis oil under doctor supervision at the Child Health Center.

After cannabis activist Jakub Gejawski was indicted his patients went on camera defending their supplier of medical cannabis oil (Polish language, English subtitles)

Polish marijuana laws are harsh, arguably the harshest in all of Europe. For simple posession of any amount you can go to prison for up to 3 years. If the amount you are caught with is „considerable” (a term not defined by the law, always left for the consideration of the judge), the sentence can be raised to 10 years. Transport and trafficking within the EU is a serious crime penalized with 3 to 15 years in jail.