Is Peru considering marijuana legalization?

Ana Gamero

Desperate families are seeking the attention of the government to legalize marijuana use for medical reasons. What is your opinion?

The police have found a small marijuana laboratory in San Miguel, where a band of Peruvian mothers have come together to grow the alternative medical treatment for their sick children. Having heard their pleas, the government is now questioning the attributes that this plant could provide and whether it is worth legalizing in Peru.


Peru considers legalizing medicinal marijuana

The Peruvian President, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski has not overlooked the matter and has proposed a new legislation to the Congress that would approve the use of marijuana for medical reasons. He claims that marijuana could be imported and sold for medical treatments and eventually after two years its domestic production could be considered.

According to Reuters, this event has led to an outpouring of support and has sparked the debate over medical marijuana use in Peru. Searching for Hope is an organization founded by concerned family members who are looking to soothe the symptoms of their sick relatives through marijuana.

They have even written to the Ministry of Health to seek approval and received two negative responses.

Ana Alvarez, Searching for Hope co-founder, whose son is receiving marijuana treatment to control his epileptic and schizophrenic attacks, claims that she works with underground marijuana vendors to purchase cannabis as it is the only method to help her child. A similar case is given by Roxana Tasayco who said that marijuana has helped her mother through the last stages of her terminal cancer and has decreased the symptoms of the diseases such as vomiting and appetite loss.

It is still unclear if the Peruvian Congress will pass Kuczynski’s proposed legislation. In the meantime, Searching for Hope members will continue to negotiate marijuana products in the black market so that they can give a better quality of life to their relatives.

What do citizens think? Ipso, a global market research and a consulting firm, reported that 65% of Peruvians favor legalizing medical marijuana while 13% approve legalizing the drug for recreational use.