The National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) presented, this Monday (26), a proposal to regulate the production of medicinal cannabis in Brazil. The text will be analyzed by the agency’s board this Wednesday (4) and, if approved, it could be published until March 31, in compliance with a decision by the Superior Court of Justice (STJ).
The STJ determined the creation of rules for all stages of the medicinal cannabis production chain in the country. If the resolutions are approved, they will come into force on the date of publication and will initially be valid for six months.
The proposal provides for the production of cannabis to be authorized exclusively for medicinal and pharmaceutical purposes and restricted to legal entities. Each establishment will be inspected and will only be able to produce the quantity necessary to meet the previously authorized demand for medicines. The text also establishes limits for cultivation areas.
The release will follow the so-called “compatibility logic”, which prevents planting in quantities greater than that necessary for the production of authorized medicines. Cultivation areas must be georeferenced, photographed and monitored. According to Anvisa, these are small areas, which will be closely monitored by the agency.
