Argentina approves self-cultivation of cannabis for medicinal purposes

Argentina has just approved the self-cultivation of cannabis for medical use, advanced this Thursday the The New York Times. A new decree, issued by President Alberto Fernández, also provides that medicines prescribed by doctors are reimbursed by insurance companies and that pharmacies sell oils, creams, magistral preparations and other derivatives of the plant. People who do not have health coverage or insurance can have access to medicines for free.

“It is imperative to create a regulatory framework that allows timely, safe, inclusive and protective access for those who need to use cannabis as a therapeutic tool”, says the regulation of the medical cannabis law, which replaces the one that was in force since 2017, and which now includes any indication or pathology. To date, cannabis was only indicated in refractory epilepsy.

Argentina thus comes to the end of a struggle of several years, carried out essentially by the Mama Cultivates, made up of mothers of sick children in need of access to medical cannabis, and puts an end to the criminalization of all those who grew them for therapeutic purposes. Home growers will need a license based on their medical needs.

“We've been fighting for this for three years,” Valeria Salech, president of Mamá Cultiva, told The New York Times. “We will no longer be criminalized for seeking a better quality of life for ourselves and our loved ones.” Salech became a strong supporter of medical cannabis when she saw the positive effects of cannabis oil on her son Emiliano, who has epilepsy and is autistic. Emiliano, now 14, has been using cannabis oil for six years.

Whoever grows it must register with the Cannabis Program Registry (Reprocann), which will issue the permits. “Patients will be able to apply to obtain cultivation authorization for themselves, through a family member, a third person or a civil organization authorized by the Enforcement Authority”, says the new law. To obtain authorization, it will be necessary to have a medical prescription, and the regulation does not establish a maximum number of plants per household, leaving this issue for future resolutions.

The law also provides for promoting public production, through laboratories linked to the National Agency of Public Laboratories, later distributed by the National Bank of Oncological Drugs and pharmacies.

Cannabis associations celebrated the Government's decision, considering it a great step towards a comprehensive law that regulates all uses of the plant. "Finally! The new regulation is an advance that commits us to continue the work to expand rights. The freedom of the plant is the freedom of all”, said Valeria Salech, president of Mamá Cultiva, one of the most active organizations in Argentina in favor of legalization.

This measure, which now authorizes self-cultivation, significantly extends the scope of the 2017 law, which legalized medical cannabis in Argentina, and is another step in the decriminalization of drugs in Latin America. Also in 2017, Uruguay legalized recreational cannabis, sold in pharmacies, and Colombia established a licensing system for growing medical cannabis.
___________________________________________________________________

Featured Photo: Davide Ragusa @ Unsplash