Argentina legalizes cannabis cultivation for patients

Argentine President Alberto Fernandez on Thursday issued a decree allowing patients to grow cannabis at home. What’s more, insurance providers cover the cost of medical cannabis, and pharmacies are allowed to sell cannabis-derived oils and drugs, the New York Times reports.

Argentina legalized medical cannabis in 2017, but activists say the law was so strict that it made medical cannabis inaccessible to patients. Under the new rules, individual cultivation licenses will be based on the medical needs of patients. Those who grow products without a license still face four to 15 years in prison. The law allows third parties to perform cultures for patients who are unable to do so themselves.

Argentina’s Health Minister Guinez Gonzalez García said the reforms replace the country’s illegal market with “quality control, which is key in all medical products, especially those given to children.”

Valeria Saleh, head of the pro-medical cannabis organization Mamá Cultiva, said activists and patients have been pushing for home cultivation since the law was passed in 2017. She added that patients were illegally growing cannabis despite the ban.

We will no longer be considered criminals for seeking a better quality of life for ourselves and our loved ones,” Ms. Saleh told the NY Times.

In July, Argentine officials announced that they would be moving toward medical cannabis reforms – including free access to cannabis-based drugs for certain groups of patients. However, legislators do not consider the possibility of widespread legalization.

In 2017, neighboring Uruguay allowed both medical and recreational use by adults, becoming the first country in the world to fully legalize cannabis.