The National Assembly of Ecuador legalizes medicinal cannabis to treat some diseases
The National Assembly of Ecuador legalized cultivation, commercialization, distribution and consumption of medicinal cannabis last Tuesday. Ecuador joins the list of 12 countries in the world that legalize medicinal cannabis. The National Assembly amended the Criminal Code to decriminalize the use and cultivation of cannabis for therapeutic purposes and also remove hemp from the list of prohibited substances.
The legislative session to legalize medicinal cannabis in Ecuador was very controversial. In fact it had to be voted separately since in addition to the legalization of cannabis, the decriminalization of abortion was also discussed. 83 legislators wanted to legalize the cultivation, marketing, distribution and consumption of cannabis for medicinal purposes. 20 assembly members went against the reform, 23 abstained and there was a blank vote.
The reform of the Criminal Code has also excluded hemp from the list of drugs whose cultivation and sale are illegal, provided that the plant has an amount of THC not exceeding 1%. From now on the regulation of hemp cultivation will be the responsibility of the National Agrarian Authority.
With the legalization of medicinal cannabis, Ecuador becomes another of the Latin American countries that have approved the use of cannabis for therapeutic purposes. The other countries that legalized cannabis are Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay for recreational purposes too.
The legalization of medicinal cannabis in Ecuador will be a great help for the treatment of patients suffering from refractory epilepsy, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer insomnia, Parkinson’s, chronic pain and more.
The Republic of Ecuador is a country in South America that borders the north with Colombia, the south and east with Peru and the west with the Pacific Ocean. A series of volcanoes divide the territory from north to south, leaving the Amazon jungle on its eastern flank. Ecuador is a relatively small country since it occupies an area of 283561 square kilometers, somewhat larger than the United Kingdom, but it is the tenth most densely populated country in America, with a population of just over 18 million inhabitants.
