Brazilian cannabis advocates, critics attend virtual hearing on draft cultivation law

South America’s largest economy took another step toward legalizaing cannabis cultivation on Tuesday when parents, clergy members, physicians, growers and regulators logged online to attend a public hearing on a draft law that would legalize the cultivation of cannabis in Brazil.

The technical meeting was organized by the lower house’s special commission for the regulation of medicinal cannabis.

The bill, submitted to Chamber of Deputies President Rodrigo Maia last month, would allow Brazilian farmers to grow cannabis for medical and industrial purposes on domestic soil for the first time.

The virtual discussion kicked off at 10 a.m. with comments from Deputies Pablo Teixeira and Luciano Ducci, members of the special commission who co-sponsored the revised draft law.

The hearing was divided into sections according to themes and constituent groups and included:

• Parents and patient associations.
• Representatives of religious institutions.
• Physicians.
• Growers and cultivators.
• Farmácia Viva, Brazil’s program for cultivating, processing and distributing medicinal plants, herbal drugs and derived phytomedicines.
• Researchers.
• Associations and regulators.

Speakers who were not listed on the pre-hearing program included lawmakers Diego Garcia, Osmar Terra, Natalia Bonavide, Pero Cunha Lima and Marcelo Calero.

Participants were alotted five minutes to share their support, thoughts or concerns about cannabis.