As in many places around the world at the moment, cannabis laws are evolving and adapting. Argentina is the most recent to accept cannabis - here’s their story.
By Cannabis News ZA -17/08/2020
As of the 15th of July 2020, Argentina will now allow the home cultivation of cannabis, as well as the sale of cannabis oils and topicals in pharmacies – none of which was legal under their existing laws. Medical cannabis patients will now also be able to access their medicine free of charge.
These new regulations were drafted by the Argentinian Health Minister, Ginés González García, and other key stakeholders. These regulations are a massive step for cannabis in Argentina.
The Health Minister met with key personalities on the 15th to finalise details on the draft regulation which would allow for growing of cannabis at home and the production of oils and topicals by local pharmacies that can then be sold to legal patients.
Facundo Garreton, the director of medical cannabis company YVY Life Sciences in Uruguay, believes that this is a massive move for the country, which until now has been overlooked as a hotspot for cannabis.
“Knowing that cannabis can alleviate many people’s suffering and not do anything about it, that’s the true crime,” said Garreton. “Good regulation will help to know the needs of every person, what to buy, where to buy it, while at the same time controlling the product’s quality. We hope this is the start of a path towards full regulation of the entire supply chain.”
Cannabis in Argentina
Argentina first legalised medical cannabis in 2017, but the law didn’t comprehensively cover the patient’s needs. The laws weren’t clear enough and many patients still relied on the illegal market. These new laws will hopefully address these previous grey areas, as well as making cannabis more accessible.
Under these new laws, growers can now grow themselves or go through a growth network. Patient limits are still being established by government but will be arriving soon. The country will also later turn to commercial levels of cannabis production and cultivation.
Gabriela Cancellaro, the NGO’s head of communications, said that “Cannabis is the answer to our therapies. But as we’re seeing all over the world, it also has the potential to create jobs in many sectors, not just in medicine, but also in agriculture, commerce and manufacturing,”.
Neighbours to Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, have already established blooming and working cannabis markets, and many believe it’s time for Argentina to do the same. They have proven models in the area, so they may be able to follow suit quite easily.
At this moment, the list of conditions that qualify for medical cannabis in Argentina has not been released. However, activists do believe it will have grown from the original list, which is limited and only allows cannabis use for children with epilepsy.
However, thanks to this change, cannabis consumers from Argentina will be able to access legal and regulated medical cannabis, instead of growing or accessing illegally. They will soon be catching up with surrounding countries when it comes to their cannabis economy and industry.
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