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Bolivia: the government is working to legalize medical cannabis

Published

6 years ago

March 24, 2020

In Bolivia, the government is considering legalizing medical marijuana. Brígida Quiroga, Secretary of the House of Representatives' Anti-Drug Committee, reported that there is a bill to legalize cannabis for medical purposes. The initiative was put on hold due to the 2019 post-election conflicts and the change of government.

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«The Bolivian government has been working on a law on medical cannabis. The country already has a project in which it has worked with certain associations that use this substance as a medicine,« he said. explained the legislator.

However, Calani pointed out that before promoting any regulation, a study should be carried out to define which sectors would benefit from legalization.

« Bolivia cannot distance itself from the reality of what is happening in neighboring countries. You can't stop people from benefiting from it.»

The bill, added Brigida Quiroga, has been shared with specialists already working on the use of cannabis oil to alleviate certain pathologies.

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«In Bolivia, there are already cases of people who have been treated with this oil and who have greatly benefited from it. There are cases in Cochabamba and here in La Paz. These are not just users, but professionals who are already using this oil with very good results«, she said.

The bolivian drug law, adopted in 2017, already opens up the possibility of regulating cannabis for medical purposes. However, this article only authorizes «chemical and pharmaceutical laboratories and industries» to manufacture medicines using certain controlled substances from Annex 1 of the UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, of which cannabis is a part.

Growing, selling or possessing cannabis is currently illegal in Bolivia.