The most treated conditions with medical cannabis in Puerto Rico

Months before the seven-year anniversary of medical cannabis legalization, its economic impact has generated considerable conversation in Puerto Rico. The industry is estimated to have produced $716 million, according to the Department of Health, and 5,000 direct and indirect jobs, according to a study commissioned in 2022 by the Asociación de Miembros de la Industria de Cannabis Medicinal (MICaM).

For some, it has not yet produced the expected revenue, but for others, the legalization of medical cannabis achieved what dozens of people were seeking: alternatives for treating conditions that do not respond to traditional medicine.

Since it was legalized in 2017, thousands of adults have used cannabis and its derivatives to treat a range of medical conditions. Cannabis is commonly used to relieve pain, manage symptoms of chronic conditions, and reduce stress and anxiety levels.

These are the 15 conditions for which medical cannabis has most often been certified as a treatment in Puerto Rico:

Is the industry still growing?

Interest in investing in the industry has led the Junta Reglamentadora de Cannabis Medicinal (JRCM) to issue 498 licenses for the cultivation, transport, research or sale of the product, according to the updated list it published in November of last year.

However, dispensary owners and MICaM members have alleged losses and inefficiencies due to the lack of annual market studies required by Law 42 of 2017.

They have also raised concerns about the saturation of dispensaries relative to the patient population on the Island. An analysis by Platea found that the JRCM had added 65 dispensary licenses to its establishment registry in 2023: the count grew from 277 dispensaries in February to 342 in September.

In January, the Department of Health recorded 114,818 patients, 3.58% of the population, according to the most recent estimates from the U.S. Census.

That figure was also 4,062 fewer people than the numbers reported in July 2023. In other words, there are more dispensaries than before, and they are serving a smaller patient population.

The Platea analysis found that each dispensary would serve an average of 335 patients, though the reality adjusts to additional factors such as location, competition and the number of patients per area.

The future of cannabis on the Island

Although health plans such as MCS began exploring the inclusion of medical cannabis in their policies as early as 2020, others, such as First Medical, began covering expenses for this treatment in 2023.

At the same time, the number of physicians authorized to recommend cannabis as a treatment has declined.

The latest report from the JRCM lists 176 authorized specialists and physicians who can prescribe it, compared with 208 in the February 2023 report.

The majority are general practitioners.

Currently, the Colegio de Médicos Cirujanos does not offer a continuing education course on medical cannabis, nor has it received any communication from the JRCM or the Department of Health regarding the certified prescribing physician program, said Carlos Díaz, president of the college, in an interview with the digital magazine Crónicas.

For their part, legislators have attempted to decriminalize the simple use and possession of cannabis, but those efforts have not produced results.

Last November, by majority vote, the House of Representatives did not pass a bill that would have prevented a first conviction for possessing five grams or less of cannabis for personal use from appearing on criminal background checks.

Similarly, in 2022, House Bill 1037, which would have decriminalized simple possession of five grams or less of cannabis, did not advance.

This content was translated with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI).