Medical Marijuana, Inc. and its subsidiary HempMeds® Mexico are proud to announce that lawmakers in Mexico have legalized marijuana for medical use.
The Mexican Congress overwhelmingly passed legislation on April 28 that legalizes the use of marijuana for medical and scientific purposes. The new law, passing Mexico’s lower house by a 374-7 vote with 11 abstentions, makes it legal to buy, sell, import and export cannabis products containing concentrations of 1 percent THC or less. The bill already passed Mexico’s Senate in December and will become law once signed by President Enrique Peña-Nieto.
The measure authorizes the cultivation of marijuana for medical and scientific purposes by licensed growers, and directs the Health Department to “design public policies to regulate the medicinal use of this plant and its derivatives.” It does not permit smoking marijuana or allow personal cultivation.
HempMeds® Mexico is proud to have made an impact on the movement for medical cannabis reform from the beginning. HempMeds® Mexico is the first company to receive government import permits for a cannabis product via approval by the Mexican Health Department, COFEPRIS.
To meet specific requirements laid out by Mexico’s health authority, HempMeds® Mexico developed zero-THC hemp cannabidiol (CBD) oil product Real Scientific Hemp Oil-XTM (RSHO-XTM). The first permits issued for usage of RSHO-XTM in January 2016 were for two young girls with epilepsy, Maria Paula and Alina Maldonado Montes de Oca. Since then, COFEPRIS has issued over 300 permits for RSHO-XTM.
The historic decision by COFEPRIS ignited a relationship between the country and HempMeds® Mexico. Beginning in January 2016, Medical Marijuana, Inc. sponsored and participated in several educational events designed to generate awareness among patients, doctors, health officials, and lawmakers on CBD hemp oil and the natural health benefits it elicits through interaction with the endocannabinoid system.
HempMeds® Mexico also hosted its first National Symposium on the benefits of CBD last year. The event, titled Cannabidiol, Medical and Therapeutic Uses, served as a unique educational opportunity for medical professionals and political and advocacy leaders in Mexico to learn about the potential clinical applications of CBD. Attending doctors were taught how to best prescribe RSHO-XTM to patients and presented with data on the CBD’s effects on epileptic children by renowned Mexican neurologist Dr. Saul Garza Morales.
HempMeds® Mexico furthered its efforts to encourage cannabis reform through its close ties with our nonprofit partner in Mexico, the Por Grace Foundation. Following a 2015 court ruling, eight-year-old Grace Elizalde became the first patient in Mexico to legally access and use CBD. Grace’s father, Raul Elizalde, started the Por Grace Foundation to further access to CBD by advocating for patients, hosting public forums, and meeting with government officials. Raul joined President Peña Nieto on stage last April as the leader announced the country would pursue medical cannabis reform.
Over the past year and a half, HempMeds® Mexico also helped shift public opinion regarding medical marijuana in Latin America by expanding our presence into Chile, Colombia, and Paraguay. We’re proud that our efforts have led to a growing acceptance and acknowledgement of CBD’s natural health benefits among doctors and policy makers.
After more than a year of educational efforts and lobbying, HempMeds® Mexico celebrates this momentous change in cannabis policy. Mexico’s new compassionate medical marijuana law helps suffering patients by opening access to multiple types of cannabis products. The bill changes cannabis’ classification in the country’s controlled substances list and gives the people of Mexico access to products containing THC for the first time. The change will also soon create the opportunity for HempMeds® Mexico to export its entire CBD hemp oil product line to Mexico.
“We applaud the Mexican government’s decision to open doors to cannabis-derived treatments to improve the quality of life for the population,” said Chief Executive Officer of Medical Marijuana, Inc. Dr. Stuart Titus. “We are excited to collaborate with the authorities to increase the positive impact and we are confident that we will make great progress in the health of Mexicans.”
Medical Marijuana, Inc. and HempMeds® Mexico, which established itself in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, look forward to furthering our relationship with doctors, patients and lawmakers. We are grateful for the continued opportunity to provide CBD hemp oil to the people of Mexico.
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