Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies passes bill authorizing medical cultivation of cannabis

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The bill authorizing the legalization of controlled cultivation of cannabis sativa in Brazil for medicinal and scientific purposes was passed on Tuesday, June 8, by the Chamber of Deputies.

The text was being processed by a special committee established to analyze Bill 399/15, in conclusive terms. The text was then dispensed from passing through the plenary session and should be forwarded to the Senate.

The analysis was marked by obstruction attempts by government deputies. The agenda had been repeatedly attacked by President Jair Bolsonaro, who said he would veto the bill. Deputies opposed to the text are expected to appeal for the bill to pass through the Chamber plenary. To this end, support from at least 52 legislators is required.

The special committee’s vote on the text illustrated the polarization surrounding the issue. There were 17 votes in favor and 17 against. The tie-breaker in favor of approval fell to rapporteur deputy Luciano Ducci (PSB-PR), as stipulated in the Chamber’s internal rules.

The passed amendment legalizes the cultivation of cannabis, but imposes restrictions. Only legal entities (companies, patient associations, or non-governmental organizations) may plant cannabis. There is no provision for individual cultivation. Cigarettes, teas, and other products derived from the plant will remain unauthorized.

Currently, the Anti-Drug Law bans throughout Brazil the planting, cultivation, harvesting, and exploration of plants and substrates from which drugs can be extracted or produced, with the exception of plants used exclusively for religious ritualistic purposes and for medicinal and scientific purposes.

The United States health regulator, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has approved products derived from cannabis sativa. The Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA) does not classify these items as medicines, but authorizes imports by prescription and may consider production in the country.

Cannabis-based pharmaceutical products are used in the treatment of epilepsy, autism, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, chronic pain, and cancer, among other conditions.

Bill

In the final text, there were adjustments after debates in the collegiate and in the general committee, held on May 26. The rapporteur included a credit line intended for patient associations that manufacture drugs, to enable them to adjust to the requirements of the future law.

According to Luciano Ducci, the focus is the medicinal application of cannabis, currently allowed in 50 countries. “It was never a premise to discuss the legalization of marijuana for adult or individual use,” he said, recalling that, established in 2019, the special committee has held 12 public hearings, in addition to collecting information in Brazil and abroad.

The cannabis-derived medicine sector is considered by experts as a promising frontier to be explored. According to data from The Green Hub and New Frontier Data consulting firms, the Brazilian cannabis-based medicine market has the potential to reach R$4.7 billion (US$933 million) a year within only three years of the creation of more flexible rules enabling the establishment of an integrated local production chain, from the generation of seeds to product development and manufacturing.

According to Gustavo de Lima Palhares, CEO of Ease Labs, a group specialized in the entire production and distribution chain of cannabis-based products, the special committee’s decision is positive.

“The opening of medical cannabis to these areas is great progress and allows for an even greater market size projection, adding other therapeutic options of great medicinal value, mainly in improving well-being and quality of life,” he says.

Source: Veja