Sandro Sanchez, aka Dr. Cannabis, was murdered in Paraguay

Lawyer, journalist and medical student Sandro Sánchez Benitez, better known on social media as Dr. Cannabis, died yesterday, March 16, after being shot in the chest, in the city of Pedro Juan Caballero, in Paraguay, next to the border with Brazil in Ponta Porã, announced the Globe. Sánchez, 39, was the president of the Asociación Paraguaya de Apoio à Cannabis de Amambay (APACAM), defended the use of the plant for medicinal purposes and was being threatened by politicians and companies in the region.

An advocate for the medicinal use of cannabis, Sandro Sánchez distributed cannabis oil free of charge to families in need in Paraguay and Brazil and was followed by thousands of people on social media, where he disseminated information about the benefits of the plant. In the last times, denounced that he was receiving threats from politicians and businessmen and even closed the doors of the association, about two weeks ago, having reopened shortly afterwards.

Unfortunately, the reopening did not last long. According to Ponta Porã police, 'Dr. Cannabis' was shot yesterday in the chest by a man who arrived at the association's door on a scooter and fired several shots. THE Globe published a video from a surveillance camera where you can see the events – a man with an open face arrives on a scooter, leaves, fires several shots and runs away. Sanchez was immediately taken to Pedro Juan Caballero's hospital, where he underwent surgery, but eventually died during the surgery. On March 1st, Sanchez had denounced, through APACAM’s Instagram, who was being “relentlessly persecuted by the intendant (mayor) of Pedro Juan Caballero, José Carlos Acevedo. The complaint also points to pharmaceutical companies lobbying to end the free distribution of cannabis oil for medicinal purposes. However, the warning was not enough to avert the tragedy.