Peru Government Announces Proposal to Legalize Medical Cannabis
Yesterday, the Peruvian government announced that it will present a plan to legalize medical cannabis. Although no date or further information was set for the proposal, the government seems adamant on making progress to support medical cannabis “for the treatment of serious and terminal illnesses.”
The administration of Peru’s current president, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, noted that this decision followed an unfortunate incident that recently occurred. Police in Lima, Peru raided a house where a few parents were growing cannabis in order to make oil to use in treating their kids who suffer from debilitating conditions such as epilepsy.
One of the parents who was a part of the indoor grow home was Aida Farfan. According to The Associated Press, she is one of more than 80 participating members who use the oil to help treat their children’s ailments. Farfan commented that the group has tried for a while now to petition lawmakers to discuss legalizing medical cannabis, but with no positive movement.
If this proposal were to be made into law, then medical cannabis would be allowed for patients. However, any other instances of trafficking or cannabis use for other reasons would still be considered a crime.
Telesur notes that the Peruvian Congress is dominated by right-wing conservatives, and that the “Ultra-conservative party Fuerza Popula,” or Popular Force party, currently controls 72 of the 130 seats. The party is led by Keiko Fujimori, who original lost the presidency to Kuczynski in the most recent election. The Popular Force party maintains a strong conservative position in congress, and in the past has opposed legalizing equal marriage, same-sex adoptions and reproductive rights, according to Telesur.
While Kuczynski’s party currently holds only 18 seats in congress, compared to the 72 seats from Fujimori, it will be a long and difficult path to swaying the skeptics. Still, many other countries have proven that persistence can lead to progress, so there is always hope that Peru will one day join the list of countries that have legalized medical cannabis.
