In a historic vote Thursday afternoon, the government of Peru took one of the final steps toward legalized medical marijuana.
The decision was enacted in Congress yesterday with 66 legislators in favor of the change, four against, and three abstentions. The resulting resolution will lift the ban on use, cultivation, and distribution of medical cannabis in the South American nation.
Regulations for the commercialization of cannabis products will be written in 60 days, said MP Alberto de Belaunde, who is one of the authors of the bill. Belaunde added that “thousands of patients and their family members will have hope and a better quality of life.”
The MP pointed out that many countries in the region have adopted medical cannabis already, so an existing wealth of knowledge on legislation and regulation is available to the Peruvian government.
Lo logramos!! Momento histórico para el Congreso y el país: Cannabis medicinal legal 🇵🇪 pic.twitter.com/RptSvuryTV
— Alberto de Belaunde (@AlbertoBelaunde) October 20, 2017
On Oct. 11, Peru’s Health Committee approved the legislation and moved the bill forward to allow for yesterday’s vote. The language now…