Research and benefits of medicinal cannabis in Paraguay
The Paraguayan State has decided to grant licenses to companies for the controlled production, industrialization and commercialization of cannabis oil in the country. This measure will not only allow more research into the medical uses of this compound, but also deepen our knowledge of the plant.
Doctors, biologists and engineers from various specialties, as well as local universities, are involved in this task. Its objective is to investigate the uses of hemp and learn more about indigenous cannabis strains.
The National Program for the Study and Medical and Scientific Research of Cannabis and its Derivatives
The National Program for the Study and Medical and Scientific Research of Cannabis and its Derivatives, created by law 6007/17 in December 2017, allows medical and scientific research into the therapeutic use of cannabis and its derivatives in the treatment of diseases in humans. This program has laid the foundations for the regulation and control of the production of medicinal cannabis in Paraguay.
The role of universities and scientists in hemp research
The licenses granted will allow the hiring of more scientists to research the uses of hemp. According to Dante Zacarías, professor at the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the National University of Asunción (UNA), there are several species of cannabis and they all have different uses. Therefore, there is a wide field of research in this area.
Regulations and requirements for the production of medicinal cannabis
To work with the production of cannabis oil, interested parties must request permission from the Health Surveillance Directorate of the Ministry of Health before October 31. The initial cannabis plantation is five hectares, but it may be extended to 10. Before 2017, cultivation was not legalized.
The licenses will be analyzed by the ministries of Health, Industry and Commerce, among other organizations. In addition, it is established that 2% of the production be delivered free of charge by the State to those who need it for their medical treatments.
Opportunities for Paraguay in the cannabis industry
Entrepreneurs in the hemp industry maintain that Paraguay must take advantage of the industrial versatility of cannabis and become a destination for transparent funds. Juan Carlos Cabezudo, director of the company Cáñamos del Sur and promoter of the formation of a Paraguayan Chamber of Industrial Cannabis, affirms that the world situation favors the development of this business at a global level and believes that Paraguay cannot miss this opportunity.
The regional context and the legalization of medicinal cannabis
Paraguay joins other countries in the region that have approved the medicinal use of cannabis, such as Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico and Ecuador. Ecuador recently approved a reform to its Penal Code that decriminalizes the possession of drugs containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and allows the production, marketing, distribution, use and consumption of cannabis for medicinal or therapeutic purposes.
Uruguay is the only country in the region that authorizes the sale, consumption and cultivation of marijuana for recreational purposes.
