Brazil Adopts Low-THC Medical Cannabis Cultivation Rules

The Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (Anvisa) on Wednesday approved rules
for low-THC medical cannabis cultivation and expanded the program’s
authorized methods of administration, Valor International reports.

Anvisa approved the reforms in response to a Federal Supreme Court ruling
from November 2024.

Under the framework, private companies will be authorized to grow medical
cannabis so long as it contains no more than 0.3% THC, similar to
industrial hemp laws in other countries. Companies are also required to
record and account for all of the cannabis that they grow. Cultivation will
also be available to patient associations and research institutes.

Medical cannabis access in Brazil is facilitated through the country’s
pharmaceutical industry — products are sold in pharmacies, and a doctor’s
prescription is required. Previously, the only consumption methods
available were oral administration, typically in a tincture, capsule, or
spray, or inhalation through vaporization. The new rules expanded the
available consumption methods to cover dermatological, sublingual, and
buccal products.

Meanwhile, last November, Anvisa approved Embrapa, Brazil’s agricultural
research agency, to launch a 12-year research program investigating
cannabis and hemp.