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.