Paraguay legalizes the cultivation of medical cannabis

Paraguay is set to join its South American neighbors after the Paraguayan Senate had approved the cultivation of medical cannabis on Tuesday.

The country had already authorized the importation of CBD oil in May 2016. The new law will allow for the controlled production of cannabis and its derivatives, as well as the importation of cannabis plants and seeds.

It is now up to President Horatio Cartes to sign the bill into law, which should not pose any problems given the support of the Ministry of Health. A national cannabis research program will also be established to study the current and future applications of medical cannabis. Cannabis will also be reclassified from the Paraguayan List of Dangerous Drugs.

Paraguayans who voluntarily join the medical cannabis research program will be provided with CBD oil free of charge. Patients, for their part, will need to register with the Ministry of Public Health once they receive their prescription, so that the country can document the legal uses of cannabis and their impact.

The Senate’s decision was celebrated by Paraguayan pro-reform activists. «We are very happy because this will also allow for the import of seeds for oil production,» said Roberto Cabanas, vice president of a Paraguayan medical cannabis organization. His daughter suffers from Dravet syndrome. Until now, her treatment had cost him 3,001 TP4T in imported cannabis oil.

Once the law takes effect, Paraguay will join the other South American countries that have already legalized medical cannabis, namely Chile, the Peru, Colombia, theArgentina and Uruguay.