Argentina’s medical cannabis industry may be about to get the green light from their National Congress – after a new bill proposes medical cannabis patients grow their own weed.
While Argentina legalised medical cannabis back in 2017, the law made medical cannabis more of a grey area than a medicine. While cannabis could be imported into the country, pharmaceutical companies struggled to grow the drug legally.
At the doctor’s office, only patients diagnosed with childhood epilepsy could be prescribed medical cannabis – despite other patients needing it. As a result, the majority of patients who needed medical cannabis bought it on the black market, rather than their local pharmacy.
Now, new legislation may right this wrong, giving medical cannabis patients and their families the green light to grow cannabis on Argentinian soil.
Simultaneously, cannabis oils and topical medications will be allowed to be sold in pharmacies, and medical cannabis patients will be given medical cannabis drugs for free. The new legislation was introduced by the Argentinian Health Minister Gonzalez Garcia last week and is due for consideration later this year.
While this will make access to medical cannabis safer and cheaper for patients, it will also have a profound impact on Argentina’s economy. According to Gabriela Cancellaro from YVY Life Sciences, the legislation will create new jobs post COVID-19.
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.
While Argentina’s climate is perfect for large-scale cannabis production, their strict cannabis cultivation laws prevented their industry from growing. Now, they may be able to begin catching up with their neighbours in Brazil and Uruguay – whose budding cannabis market is the envy of the Australian industry.
Going forward, the legislation will see Argentina’s government will put together a plan to invest in large-scale production. If the ink settles on the new law, a new list of cannabis-approved conditions will also be released.
These steps will increase Argentina’s GDP and will pave the way for recreational cannabis use to be legalised, according to activists.