Brussels, 10/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - This is because synthetic marijuana leads to a state of inebriation, ranging from euphoria to hallucinations, but does not bring any beneficial effects to human health. Subsequently, it cannot be considered as a medicinal product, ruled the European Court of Justice in two related cases (C-358/13 and C-181/14) on Thursday 10 July.
European judges have therefore followed the opinion of the Advocate General presented in June 2014 (see EUROPE 11100). On the basis of the pharmacological industry's pre-experimental studies, the European Court of Justice considers that synthetic marijuana, also more technically known as “mixtures of herbs containing synthetic cannabinoids”, have no beneficial effects and are consumed solely to induce a state of intoxication and are, as such, potentially harmful to human health. According to the Court their consumption is exclusively for recreational purposes and therefore such substances cannot be considered as medicinal products under EU law. (JK)