Drug Policy

We want to change the current conversations on drug policy and medical cannabis in Latin America by putting people at the center of the issue. There are too many people who lack access to the medical treatment they need because of outdated, unbalanced drug policies. Hundreds of thousands of people in Latin America diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, seizures, and HIV/ AIDs are restricted access to safe drugs and treatment. Our goal is to shift drug policy conversations away from a substance-free mentality that punishes people who depend on these drugs and towards discussions that treat drug policy as a public health issue that needs to be regulated. We want to use evidence-based information to work with people, communities, governments, and our partners to create sustainable human-centered drug policies. We are committed to:

• Promoting Research & Educating Citizens – One of the challenges of discussing medical cannabis is that there is limited evidence-based research and information on how it should be regulated, especially within Latin America. Even the research that is available is often difficult to find or access. Additionally, many of the laws use complicated language that is hard to understand fully. Our aim is to support and coordinate research projects among our partners to develop evidence-based information for citizens to easily access.
• Fostering Debate – There is no question that governments, the scientific community, and people are divided on the best way to handle medical cannabis laws. Our aim is to foster debate and include people from both sides of the table in the conversation including medical experts, legislatures, medical cannabis medical users, and citizens who want to engage in this conversation.
• Working Together – Parallel to research, education, and debate, our primary goal is to work together with governments, the health community, producers, patients, and people to implement human-centered drug policies.

Medical Cannabis Regulation in Latin America

This interactive map has information about the legalization and regulation of medical cannabis in Latin American countries. We work to keep this map as up to date as possible.