By The Associated Press
Argentina's Senate has given final legislative approval to a bill legalizing the use of cannabis oil and other marijuana
derivatives for medicinal purposes, and setting up a regulatory
framework for the state to prescribe and distribute them to patients.
The legislation approved by senators Wednesday also creates a medical
marijuana research program at the Health Ministry, which must "guarantee
free access" to cannabis oil and other derivatives to patients who join
the program. The legislation was passed by the Chamber of Deputies
earlier.
"In history, the big things always come in small steps," said Valeria
Salech, president of a private pro-medical marijuana group called Mama
Cultiva Argentina, which has argued that cannabis can radically change
the quality of life for children suffering everything from HIV to epilepsy.
Her group is already lobbying to push the legislation further, to permit the families of patients to grow their own marijuana.
Under the new legislation, government agencies will be authorized to
grow marijuana for research purposes and to produce cannabis oil and
derivatives for patients. The state can import cannabis derivatives
until they can be produced locally.
Other nations in Latin America
are also debating allowing medical uses of marijuana. But Uruguay is
the only country in South America that has legalized recreational pot.
In the U.S., voters in California, Massachusetts, Maine and Nevada last
year approved recreational use of marijuana, joining Colorado,
Washington, Oregon and Alaska. Canadian officials have recently said
they hope to legalize recreational pot in 2018.
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