Brazilian Minister of Health in favor of medical cannabis, but against cultivation of the plant

It should be noted that in 2015 the cannabidiol has been withdrawn the list of banned substances in the country. In the following years, the registration of medicines based on the active ingredient CBD was regulated and allowed. However, cannabidiol cannot yet be produced in Brazil, and only registrations of oils produced outside Brazil are accepted.

Mandetta said that the substance has shown efficiency, especially in the treatment of syndromes in which patients have seizures that are not controllable with conventional medication. According to the Minister, as the number of patients is limited, cannabis production in the country is not justified. In addition, Mandetta believes that the use of THC may increase with the installation of cannabis farms for medicinal purposes.

“So we think we should register [cannabidiol], we should bring the molecule. If you want to matter, matter. But I don't see any reason for us to put up a huge stockpile of THC, with the harm that THC brings,” he said. “This number of patients is a very restricted number, who will need this drug. As the volume is small, it does not justify you to make a factory. You will end up with a huge price for those patients”, concluded the Minister of Health.

Mandetta said that the Ministry of Health is in favor of growing cannabis for scientific research. This Tuesday, August 20th, the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) completed a public consultation on the cultivation of medical cannabis. This public consultation had 554 contributions.

The next step is the analysis of these participations by the agency's directors, who will make a final decision on the subject. If the conclusion is to allow cultivation, Anvisa already has two proposals for regulation, approved in June. On several occasions, the federal government has taken a stand against the cultivation of cannabis, even for medicinal purposes.

However, Anvisa argues that it can decide alone. In a note to the G1, Anvisa clarified that it is part of its legal attributions to decide on the manufacture and control of medicines, so decisions in this area do not need to be reiterated by the government or Congress.

“The normative process ends at Anvisa, since it is a legal assignment given to the agency within the competences referring to the regulation of the manufacture and control of medicines. This is because the consultation deals with the production of cannabis for the manufacture of industrialized medicines and the exclusive supply to a research institution or manufacturer of pharmaceutical ingredients or medicines”, declared Anvisa in a press release.