In Latin America, at least eight countries have approved medical marijuana, and only two, Uruguay and Mexico, have legalized its recreational use. The senator pointed out that specific legislation to legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes is still being developed and is quite complex, but there are already some general lines. Meanwhile, 15 U.S. states and the District of Columbia allow recreational use of marijuana. In the November 2020 election, Arizona, Montana, New Jersey and South Dakota allowed cannabis use for adults. Legally, the Controlled Substances Act 913 opens up the possibility of using marijuana for medical purposes, although its regulations are still lacking. On the other hand, channels mediated by health professionals promise a better quality of health as well as advice on their application. Of course, the doctors who prescribe, manage and sell the oils only do so underground, because of the legal consequences that this would openly entail. It is no coincidence that the only prescription approved in Bolivia, that of the girl Celeste, was issued by a Chilean doctor, Pedro Musalem. In contact with this research team, the specialist says he has been working for eight years with the supply of medical cannabis to patients in his country and in other countries. In Bolivia, he is currently accompanying two of them, to Celeste.
And if you add them all up, he estimates that he counseled about 10 Bolivians, half of whom are children with epilepsy, autism or cerebral palsy, and the other half adults with cancer and Parkinson`s disease. Despite the economic arguments, Barrientos points out that the main interest in opening the debate is health, since there are currently many diseases for which the use of marijuana products is recommended, such as cannabidiol extract (CBD) and others. Medical marijuana is legal in some form in at least 30 states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Anyone over the age of 21 can purchase medical marijuana in Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. Laws around the world are gradually changing thanks to the scientific evidence, the struggle for rights and the visibility that these vulnerable populations have gained. Reform of our repressive laws is needed, and the regulation of medical marijuana is an urgent issue that public policy and laws must address. Patients cannot wait, pain cannot wait, and the design of this regulation must be agreed between the state and civil society. Paul`s name is not Paul. Hydrangea is also not called hydrangea.
Their real names have been changed for this story, not because they are ashamed of their lives and scars, but because she once had the audacity to give her son cannabis oil to reduce his seizures, falls and head injuries. In Bolivia, cannabis (popularly known as marijuana) is a controlled, illegal and criminalized substance. Its production, processing and sale are prohibited, as is its consumption, which does not distinguish between recreational and medicinal purposes. Law 1008 on the Coca and Narcotics Regime, in force since 1988, cares little or nothing about whether someone uses cannabis to get a common high, or when someone else seeks it in oil form to relieve the chronic pain of a close family member. If found in possession of the product, both can be arrested, sent to court and, depending on the amount of drugs seized, pay for their “crime” with a rehabilitation period or up to 25 years in prison. Bolivia is one of three countries in South America (along with Brazil and Venezuela) and one of nine countries in the Americas where cannabis use is illegal, whether recreational or medicinal. According to Barrientos, the medical marijuana industry in Latin America generated more than $74 million in 2020 and $194 million across the continent in 2021. In June 2021, Mexico`s Supreme Court approved by 8 votes to 3 against lifting the ban on recreational marijuana contained in the General Health Law. The resolution states, among other things, that marijuana may be planted, collected, transported and distributed without punishment as long as it is for personal use.
It is scientifically proven that the use of medical marijuana has health benefits and countries like Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Peru have already regulated its use. In Bolivia, patients with nervous system disorders and other serious or chronic diseases secretly use marijuana for medical purposes. In view of these facts, the lack of regulation of their use exposes them to persecution by the police and restriction of their right to health. In 2020, the Parliamentary Committee© on Combating Drug Trafficking proposed a bill on the use of marijuana for medical purposes, but it has stalled. EFE Teresa is one of those victims of the uncritical and biased view of drugs and cannabis in particular. Her family urged her to stop treatment that not only did her good, but also cost her less: 100 bolivianos ($15) versus $2,100 ($304) a month. The drugs she consumes today (gabapentin and amitriptyline) do not provide complete relief, leaving her half-doped, in a bad mood, and sometimes resulting in hospitalization, with an additional cost of up to 2,700 bolivianos ($390) per day. “With the oil, I never had a hospital stay, I never fell back into the depths of my illness. I cannot fully comply with my legal treatment,” he laments, referring to the waste that fibromyalgia brings, a disease that affects 2 to 6% of the population, according to the Spanish Foundation of Rheumatology, with the majority of women affected. But even more than money, it hurts her to no longer feel fulfilled as a wife and mother. “I was once the superwoman, and because of the disease, I couldn`t be anymore, I still can`t.” These regulations expanded the bill passed in the Senate in March 2017 that authorized the use of marijuana for medical purposes.
Countries such as Chile, Peru and Paraguay have also approved medical cannabis. Puerto Rico also allows marijuana for medical purposes. Politically, recent calls for the decriminalization of medical cannabis have come from figures opposed to the ruling party (MAS). In December 2021, Iván Arias, the current mayor of La Paz and former minister in the interim government of Jeanine Áñez, said he would promote debate on this issue. In mid-July 2022, Senator Andrea Barrientos of the main opposition force in the Legislative Assembly (CC) came out in favor of the “legalization of medical marijuana.” As they are two people linked to the opposition, their comments have been widely discredited by sectors linked to the MAS, including the pro-government newspaper Ahora el Pueblo. A reaction all the more curious when we note that the MAS brought the leader of the coca growers of the Tropic of Cochabamba, Evo Morales, to the presidency of Bolivia and carried as one of its main political flags the condemnation of the criminalization of the coca leaf as cocaine and ignorance of its ancestral and medicinal properties, a situation similar to that of cannabis. In view of the abolition of Law 1008, we have Articles 18, 19 and 20 of Law 913 and Article 98 of its Regulations (Supreme Decree No. 3434), which open up the possibility of creating a regulatory framework. We are trying to respect human rights, guarantee and democratize access to health care and end lawsuits against patients who need this factory.
Improve the quality of life of people suffering from this type of disease who can alternatively be treated with medical marijuana. Consumers purchase marijuana from provincially or territorially regulated retailers or, if none of these options are available, state-licensed producers. Marijuana is also not sold in the same place as alcohol or tobacco. Moreover, the lawmakers add, the economic argument goes further, because medical marijuana is on the market without regulation and without paying taxes, despite its prohibition. In Bolivia, in 2017, more than fifty Bolivian epilepsy patients are already using medical marijuana and are being treated with extracts of this plant. Similarly, several Facebook pages have emerged from groups that promote health benefits and impacts, such as patient associations and people interested in this alternative medicine.