Brazil Approves Uruguayan Medical Cannabis Imports

On Thursday November 18th, the National Health Surveillance Agency of Brazil, often known as Anvisa, gave its approval for the country’s first import of cannabis products made in Uruguay for both medical and recreational use.

The authorization is good for a period of two years, during which time patients or their legal representatives are permitted to import the product that has been granted authorization. At Anvisa stations, all that is required is the presentation of the medical prescription, together with an indication of the quantity to be imported (at airports and border areas). However, prior to entering the country, each and every import is required to pass a hygienic examination at the port of entry.

Even if the authorisation makes it possible to import cannabis products from Uruguay without restrictions, Brazilian citizens still need a prescription from a doctor or other medical expert in order to purchase the drug. According to a report from the Brazilian news outlet Perfil on Thursday, November 17th, the policy will be in effect for a period of two years, which in this case will be until 2024.

Resolution RDC No. 660, issued March 30, 2022, served as the foundation for the action taken by the Agency. In a statement, Anvisa specified that the first items to be imported into the country will be those manufactured by the Uruguayan medical cannabis company Pucmed, which the agency judged to be a reference in terms of the quality control of its products. In the meantime, the Chief Executive Officer of the company, Alfonso Cardozo, expressed optimism over the development potential: According to what he shared with the aforementioned media outlets, “From this intermediation, it is predicted that the industry would earn more than $600,000 a year, expecting an exponential development.” On Thursday, the company made the announcement on its Instagram account that it had been granted permission by Anvisa to transport cannabis blossoms to Brazil. “We are the only 100% Uruguayan company enabled by Anvisa to do so,” the company said.

According to the Associaço Brasileira das Indstrias de Cannabis (ABICANN), cannabis-based medical treatments have the potential to serve over 18 million Brazilians across a wide variety of medical specializations. On the other hand, it is believed that there are just 50,000 people in Brazil who have access to this kind of treatment.

“Our purpose is to demystify the access and use of medical cannabis, promoting the quality of life, well-being, and safety of patients,” was the statement made by the company Anna Medicina Endocannabinoide, which was the first Brazilian startup to open a physical space for the dissemination of information on access to medical marijuana in the country. Anvisa granted permission for the importation of cannabis-derived products for medical use in 2015, provided that a physician’s prescription was presented at the time of importation. There were 850 requests for imports submitted during the first year after the introduction. In the year 2021, this figure climbed by more than 40 times. According to Perfil’s findings, in 2021 Anvisa received 40,000 requests to import cannabis for medical purposes.

Anvisa is the agency that issues the document required to make a request for the importation of cannabis for therapeutic use into Brazil. This allows Brazilian residents to privately acquire the material for the purpose of treating their respective medical conditions. The resolution RDC no 660/2020, which was just discussed, contains the criteria that must be met.

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The authorization is good for a period of two years, during which time patients or their legal representatives are permitted to import the product that has been granted authorization. At Anvisa stations, all that is required is the presentation of the medical prescription, together with an indication of the quantity to be imported (at airports and border areas). At the time of entry into the country, all imports are, however, subject to a sanitary inspection. Because of this, a prescription written by a medical practitioner who is legally qualified is required to be presented. This prescription must include the name of the patient, the product, the quantity imported, the posology, the prescriber’s signature, the date, and the registration number that the prescriber has with his or her class board.