Brazilian President Lula’s government has pledged to regulate the cultivation of cannabis for medical purposes, including to replace cannabis imports.
Currently, the cultivation of cannabis is only permitted by court order. In March, the Ministry of Justice had already asked the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) to allow cultivation in the country.
In its statement, the ministry emphasizes the importance of comprehensive and adequate regulations for the importation and cultivation of low-THC cannabis for industrial, pharmaceutical and medical purposes.
In an interview with Folha, Marta Machado, national secretary for drug policy, said that the legalization of cultivation will be one of the priorities on the agenda of the National Council for Drug Policy (Conad). This council is made up of members from the Ministry of Health, the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), the Federal Police and other portfolios.
According to Marta, the goal is to discuss the best possible regulatory model for the country, in order to reduce the price of cannabis products. Brazilian justice has already granted more than 2,000 individual authorizations for the cultivation of cannabis, without many controls behind it.
The secretary also reminds that there are different authorization models, from those aimed exclusively at the pharmaceutical industry to those that recognize cultivation associations. The Ministry of Justice and Public Security (Senad) does not have a predefined model, but intends to discuss with all stakeholders a prudent system of regulation, inspection and control. The objective is to avoid excesses and to favor local production and Brazilian industry which, according to the secretary herself, is capable of entering this market.
Medical cannabis should be one of the Brazilian government’s priorities. Telling sign, the appointment of people linked to the sector in the Council for Social and Sustainable Economic Development, known as “Conselhão”.
While the government debates this issue, Anvisa is also working on new rules to regulate the cultivation of cannabis for clinical research.
Anvisa data shows that 80,258 authorizations were granted in 2022 for the import of products containing cannabis, double the number recorded in 2021. They were 10,000 in 2019.
The second way to obtain medical cannabis is Resolution 327, which authorizes the marketing of cannabis products in pharmacies, provided that the quality, efficacy and safety of the products are assessed by the regulatory agency. before the authorization is granted.
