Minister defends project that allows marijuana planting in Brazil

The Minister of Agrarian Development, Paulo Teixeira (PT), defended the approval of Bill 399/15, which tries to liberate the planting of marijuana in Brazil for commercial, medicinal and industrial purposes. The position was made during a seminar on the regulation of Cannabis production, held last Tuesday (27), at the Chamber of Deputies.

The former deputy was chairman of the special committee of the Chamber of Deputies that approved PL 399/2015 in June 2021. He voted in favor of the project that awaits analysis in the plenary of the legislative house, before going to the Senate.

In the minister’s evaluation, the release of planting will be important for the “production of medicines and even food based on marijuana”, and may even “benefit family farming”. “We need to think about how we can, when the PL is approved, have family agriculture in this production. Today in Brazil, there are families, groups of families of patients, working in the production of cannabis for medicinal use”, said the minister.

When speaking at the audience, the minister demanded that parliamentarians and cannabis supporters put pressure on the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira, to immediately discuss the project in plenary. “Lira said he would vote and even his father is a medical cannabis user”, said Teixeira.

The petista also came to defend the self-cultivation of cannabis, but the proposal was not accepted by the former rapporteur in the text of PL 399. , reinforced in the Chamber.

Another project pointed out by Teixeira was one that he is the author of, PL 10.549/18, which disciplines the control, inspection and regulation of the use of cannabis in Brazil for medicinal use (still without scientific evidence) and also for personal use. In addition, it provides for domestic cultivation, cultivation through cooperatives and production for medicinal purposes. The text also proposes an objective distinction between users and dealers, with the aim of decriminalizing the user.

A People’s Gazette tried to talk to the agro deputies about the minister’s statements, but many refused to talk about the legalization of marijuana cultivation in Brazil. In a note, the Agribusiness Parliamentary Front informed that “the agenda is not part of the priorities of the FPA and is not discussed in our forum”.

The attempt to legalize marijuana in Brazil has gained prominence in recent months due to discussion in the National Congress, as in a judgment that can be resumed at any time by the Federal Supreme Court (STF). In addition to the seminar to discuss the regulation of cultivation, deputies and activists also held a public hearing this Thursday (29) to discuss the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes, even with the risks to public health and safety and the little scientific evidence. therapeutic use for most diseases.