Latin America & the Carribean
Animals:
To date, there are no regulatory approved medicines for companion animal using cannabinoids derived from the medical cannabis plant in Latin America and the Carribean.
CannPals lead drug candidate, CPAT-01, is in development as a pain and inflammatory control for dogs containing cannabidiol and tetrahydrocannabinol, and CannPal will be seeking to explore approval in the countries with human regulatory pathways below:
Veterinarians should check with their federal animal health regulator prior to discussing any of the approved human medicines with pet owners in any of the countries below.
Uruguay:
Uruguay is the first country in the world to completely legalise the cannabis market for medical and scientific purposes for humans, as well as for industrial and recreational use, however buyers must be eighteen or older, residents of Uruguay, and must register with the authorities.
Chile:
Cannabis in Chile is illegal for production and public consumption, but is decriminalized and legal private at-home consumption is allowed, and patients enabled to grow plants at home (no specified number) or to be a member of a collective cannabis cultivation club, so long as the latter is regulated under Law 20,500 on non-profit citizen participation
Columbia:
Personal cultivation and consumption is decriminalized, but illegal for public consumption and commercial sale. Medical cannabis is legal for certain cannabis users. Law 1787, approved in 2015, also created a regulatory framework for medical and scientific access to cannabis, within which the state retains control over the market and grants licenses to private entities for production, manufacture, export, transformation and research.
Brazil:
While cannabis in Brazil is illegal and criminalized, possession and cultivation of personal amounts and for private use were de-penanalized in 2006. Brazil has allowed the importation of medications based on CBD oil, including THC and marijuana flowers in 2016, for medical and therapeutic use under exceptional circumstances.
Peru:
Recreational cannabis has been decriminalized and possession of up to 8g is not punished. Cultivation, production and sale are punished with prison, however October 2017, Peru approved its ‘Law regulating the medicinal and therapeutic use of cannabis and its derivatives’ for the various groups who wish to access cannabis (i.e. patients, importers, research entities and public entities), and a system of government licences for research, importation, commercialisation and production.
Argentina:
Recreational cannabis has been decriminalized for small amounts and consumption in private locations and some forms of medicinal cannabis became legal nationally in 2017 through reform that allows patients to import their medication while the state initiates the local production of pharmaceuticals for the domestic market.
Bolivia:
Bolivia has amended its drug legislation to allow medicinal cannabis. Agreed within the framework of a broader drug legislation, individuals and companies must register and request a prior authorisation to the Ministry of Health for the import, export, trade or production of medicinal cannabis. Limited authorisations may also be granted by the Ministry of Health for research on medicinal cannabis.
Jamaica:
Recreational cannabis has been decriminalized for limited amounts including cultivation and cannabis for medicinal or therapeutic purposes Is legal must be recommended or prescribed by a registered physician or a health professional certified by the Ministry of Health. Import of cannabis products by patients is allowed as long as the physician certifies that the patient is suffering from an illness.
Mexico:
Recreational cannabis use has been decriminalized and the reforms to the General Health Law and the Criminal Code in 2017 now allow the use of cannabis for medical and scientific purposes. The Ministry of Health was ordered to issue a public policy on the matter to ensure that patients have access to pharmacological products with and without THC.
Sources:
http://fileserver.idpc.net/library/Medicinal%20cannabis%20briefing_ENG_FINAL.PDF