South America

Colombia: Changes are likely in the legal framework for both recreational and medical cannabis after Gustavo Petro won yesterday’s election second round, giving Colombia its first left-wing president, press reports. Petro, who will take office on 7th August, has frequently voiced his support for the cultivation of cannabis in place of coca plantations. He also supports legalisation and regulation of recreational cannabis.

Argentina: Today is the last day to submit comments to the National Administration of Drugs, Food and Medical Technology (Anmat) on the requirements to apply for a licence for the production, importation, exportation and sale of the new category of cannabis-based products that can be used for medical purposes. Use of cannabinoid products including CBD, delta-8, CBG, CBC and CBN will be allowed with a doctor’s prescription provided they contain no more than 0.3% THC.

Brazil: The Superior Court of Justice has authorised three patients to grow cannabis for their own medicinal use. The court emphasised that the authorities’ failure to regulate the use of medical cannabis “makes the prescribed medical treatment for patients practically unviable, given the high cost of importation, the irregularity in the supply of national oil, and the impossibility of producing the prescribed drugs on a handcrafted basis”. Although not binding, the decision sets an important legal precedent for lower courts.

Chile: A group of parliamentarians within the ruling coalition said yesterday that they intend to present a bill to Parliament to legalise recreational cannabis, press reports. They will pursue the modification of Law 20,000 on Narcotics to regulate sales and use.

Argentina: The National Administration of Drugs, Food and Medical Technology (ANMAT) is inviting public comments on the requirement to apply for a licence for the production, import, export and commercialisation of the new category of cannabis-based products that can be used for medical purposes. Use of products including CBD, delta-8 THC, CBG, CBC and CBN, all with a 0.3% THC limit, will be subject to a doctor’s prescription.

Uruguay: Senator Eduardo Antonini of the opposition party Frente Amplio, vice-chair of the Tourism Committee, has introduced a bill to allow tourists access to recreational cannabis, press reports. Uruguayan residents can access cannabis through self-cultivation, cannabis clubs and pharmacies, but tourists currently cannot use any of these channels.

Brazil: The Superior Court of Justice has ruled that private health insurance companies are not obliged to cover treatments and medicine products that do not appear on the National Health Agency (ANS) list, such as medicinal cannabis. According to industry members, this may make access to such products more difficult, but patients will still be able to request them on a case-by-case basis through the courts.