Brazil’s push to regulate medical marijuana industry

In relation to the global trend toward decriminalizing or legalizing cannabis, Brazil is lagging way behind. With Canada, Portugal, Uruguay, and much of the U.S. leading the movement towards permitting broad recreational use of cannabis, the drug remains strictly forbidden in Brazil, even for medicinal and research purposes.

This could be about to change, however. The country’s sanitary surveillance agency Anvisa has launched a proposal to regulate the growing of cannabis for medicinal and research purposes and will put its suggestions to public consultation. It hopes to establish a new rule on the matter by the end of the year.

The issue of marijuana legislation in Brazil is confusing. While the medicinal and research use of the cannabis plant is legal in much of Europe and even large parts of South America, it has yet to progress in Brazil. However, a 2006 law exists which allows the government to authorize the cultivation of cannabis strictly for medical and research purposes. Thirteen years later, Anvisa is now pushing to regulate that law.

Criticism on both sides

The sanitary agency’s...