THE president Jair Bolsonaro In a conversation with supporters in front of Palácio da Alvorada this Monday, 17th, he joked the discussion in the Chamber of Bill 399/2015, which regulates the sale of medicines with extracts or parts of the marijuana plant for medicinal use. He compared the drugs with cannabis sativa in the formulation to others used in early treatment against the Covid-19, which has no effectiveness. “Funny. Marijuana can, chloroquine cannot,” he said.
When asked by a supporter about the project, which is about to be voted on by a special committee of the Chamber, the president said again that he will veto the proposal if it is approved. “That (to approve) is up to parliament. If it comes to me, I’ll veto it”, he said. According to Bolsonaro, “the left always takes an opportunity to want to release drugs.” He also compared the medicinal use of the plant with drug use. “Marijuana and cocaine are good, no problems”, he joked.
Last week, Bolsonaro had already said that he would veto the bill, as the proposal, according to him, is “crap” and that his debate is “ridiculous”. If approved by the House, the text will still need to pass the Senate’s analysis — if, in the end, it is approved in Congress, it will be subject to a presidential veto.
The bill is authored by deputy Fábio Mitidieri (PSD-CE) and changes Law 11.343/06, which instituted the National System of Public Policies on Drugs. According to the proposal, the planting will be carried out by pharmaceutical and research companies and the trade can only take place with a medical prescription if there is proof of its therapeutic efficacy in a medical report for all cases of indication of its use, and only with authorization from Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency). The sale of the plant, tea or seeds is not allowed. Only certified plants with less than 1% THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, can be cultivated.
This Monday, from 1:00 pm, the report of the rapporteur, Luciano Ducci (PSB-PR) should be analyzed, who will be in favor of the proposal and most of the amendments presented, but must maintain restrictions on planting – which can only be done by companies, patient associations and non-governmental organizations — and to the marketing of smoking products, such as cigarettes, made from medical cannabis.
The rapporteur stated that the focus of the bill is the medicinal use of marijuana and denied that his opinion would allow the recreational use of the plant. “At no time did we discuss legalizing marijuana for adult or individual use,” he said.
An article published by VEJA in this week’s edition shows how medical cannabis moves a wide range of companies and investment funds interested in a sector that could reach 4.7 billion reais in Brazil — read the full article here.
