Paraguay to grant five medical cannabis production licenses

Struggling to combat organized crime and international drug trafficking, Paraguay, the Latin American state bordered by Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia, has decided to set up its own drug industry. medical marijuana. The government has just announced the imminent granting of five cultivation licenses.

Making medical cannabis available

In 2017, Paraguay had passed a law allowing the controlled production of cannabis and its derivatives, as well as the import of plants and seeds. Promulgated in 2018 by President, This law opened the door to a local medical cannabis industry, but the various institutions involved (Health, Agriculture, General Secretariat for Drug Control, National Plant Health and Quality Service) still had to establish the criteria for regulating this industry. This has now almost been done, with the various ministers presenting their plans to the President this week.

“We are in the process of defining criteria for granting licenses. We are talking here about exclusively medical production», says the Minister of the National Anti-Drug Secretariat. «Today, it has been decreed that 5 licenses will be granted to 5 companies. We're working on this, with all the institutions drawing up their prerequisites and control protocols. Today, we are on the verge of completing the prerequisites, and we will be examining the companies applying for licenses». The Minister also suggested that, after this initial phase, a further five licenses could be granted.

Each license will allow the cultivation of 5 hectares. The government will be responsible for distribution. Part of the production will be used for research, and the rest will be given to the Ministry of Health for free distribution to patients in need. «One of the most important things in this law is that a percentage of the production destined for public health will be distributed free of charge, based on approved medical indications (cancer, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy),» explains Health Minister Julio Mazzoleni.

The law provides for the establishment of a register of patients requiring medical cannabis. The organization Mama Cultiva - also active in other Latin American countries and campaigning for the permission of self-cultivation for patients - has already taken on the task of starting this registry. In addition, since 2016, when the use of cannabis oil has been approved and regulated, Some patients are already being treated with imported products.

Colombia has already granted over 300 production licenses for medical cannabis and is destined to become a production hub for Latin America's medical cannabis markets.