Paraguay’s Congress has voted to allow cannabis for medical purposes to be grown in the nation after approving state-sponsored importation of oils in May, according to a report from Reuters. President Horacio Cartes is expected to sign the measure which, if approved, will see the health ministry import seeds for the program. La Vanguardia reports that the Paraguay-derived oils will be made available to patients who qualify for the program for free.
Roberto Cabanas, vice president of Paraguay’s medical cannabis organization, told Reuters that under the current regime his family pays up to $300 a month for imported cannabis oil to treat his daughter’s Dravet syndrome.
According to Prensa Latina, the move amends the nation’s narcotics law to exclude cannabis, its resins, extracts, and tinctures from the dangerous drugs list as well as establishing a national program for the scientific and medical research of cannabis.
The Anti-Drug Secretary will assist the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare in administering the program.
Land-locked Paraguay is one of the largest cannabis producers in Latin America, and now joins Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Peru in legalizing medical cannabis in Latin America. Uruguay remains the only nation in the region to legalize cannabis for adult-use.