The Andorran government has instructed RocaJunyent to draft a bill to regulate medical cannabis in the country. The Andorran government, determined to undertake regulation, has set an initial period of three months and a budget of €49,115 (according to Cáñamo) for the law firm RocaJunyent to lay the groundwork for the project. The team of lawyers will be tasked with researching other foreign legislation, and meeting with ministers, government officials, experts and stakeholders.
Andorra made public its interest in cannabis regulation in early summer 2021 when the government commissioned a study by a Catalan consultancy firm to assess the implementation of future regulation. In November the results of the report were presented, which concluded that cannabis regulation could be a new avenue of agro-economic and health opportunities for the country. The report’s recommendations included the creation of a production industry for CBD-rich cannabis and also for psychoactive cannabis with high THC content.
Now the idea of regulation will enter a new phase with the commissioning of the draft bill. The law firm has the task of “fine-tuning the text so that it is what we want it to be: a generator of opportunities, but also one that protects us from reputational risks,” said the Minister Spokesman, Enric Jovent, in statements reported by the newspaper Altaveu. It is still too early to know what aspects the law will include, but all indications are that it will be specially designed to create job opportunities and economic growth and to allow access to certain cannabis treatments for some of the country’s patients.
According to Eric Jover, in a press conference, the aim is to encourage private investment in the cannabis industry used in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, a “transversal element that is an economic opportunity”, according to the minister. However, he insists that “we must be prudent” because it could entail “risks that affect the country’s repercussions”.
The law will be drafted transversally by the Catalan law firm RocaJunyent and in cooperation with the possible parties involved, according to the minister, and the model will provide for the participation of the Principality’s forestry sector to promote its diversification.
RocaJunyent’s team working on this issue is being led by Yolanda Puiggròs, with the support of the lawyer Sergi Nin.
