High dollar impacts importation of cannabis-based medicines in Brazil

The commercial dollar reached R$ 4.25 last week, marking the biggest devaluation in the history of the Real Plan. This Tuesday (03), the US currency is quoted at R$ 4.22, and this value impacts not only sectors of the economy but also the pockets of Brazilians, including families that need to import cannabis-based medications. With the high cost of these products, patients are living in agony.

This is the case of Rio de Janeiro filmmaker Rita Carvana, mother of Théo, a 13-year-old boy who suffers from epilepsy. He is taking an imported full-spectrum cannabis oil from the brand Revivid. She pays around US$ 300 for each bottle, thanks to a discount from a partnership with Apepi, a patients' association in Rio de Janeiro.

"It is a great affliction. I don't know what to say because it is such a difficult situation. I have authorization to buy four oils, so I applied to Anvisa to extend it to more bottles, and that authorization has not yet been granted. I am still concerned about the authorization and now there is this issue with the dollar," the mother laments.

According to Rodolfo Rosato, director of Kannamed, a marketplace for plant-based medicines, there has been a significant decrease in searches on the platform. He also reports cases of patients who have given up buying at this time.

"We are offering a 5% discount to match the dollar for the patient at around R$ 4. That's the best we can do, but it is very difficult. Anything more than that is impossible. We have seen a reduction in the number of patients requesting protocols from Anvisa in the last week".

This Tuesday, Anvisa will vote on two proposals for regulating Cannabis in Brazil. One is about cultivating the plant for medicinal and research purposes, and the other is about registering and monitoring these medications. Families hope that if the resolutions are approved, this scenario will improve.

"Continuing at this value, it ends up leading many patients to consume an illegal medication. Government bureaucracy and currency exchange rates push many more people into the black market," Rosato warns.