ICR launches petition to defend access to imported medical cannabis in Brazil

The Instituto Conexão e Regulação (ICR) has launched a national petition in defense of maintaining Anvisa's RDC 660/2022, a regulation that grants thousands of Brazilian patients the right to import cannabis-based medications for therapeutic use, upon medical prescription.

The mobilization comes amid regulatory debates regarding the revision of RDC 327, which regulates cannabis products produced or distributed in Brazil. According to the ICR, proposals under discussion could have indirect impacts on RDC 660, creating legal uncertainty for importing companies and, mainly, the risk of treatment interruption for patients who rely solely on imported products.

Currently, medications accessed through RDC 660 are used in the treatment of refractory epilepsies, chronic pain, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, severe anxiety, among other pathologies. In many cases, there are no therapeutic equivalents available in the national market, either due to differences in formulation, cannabinoid concentrations, or pharmacological profile.

“The regulatory debate cannot disregard the direct impact on patients' lives. For thousands of families, any interruption in access means a real risk to health and clinical stability,” states the ICR in the petition text.

The petition argues that the public policy on medical cannabis in Brazil should be built with a focus on the patient, ensuring the continuity of established treatments, the therapeutic freedom of doctors and patients in choosing the most suitable product, the coexistence of different access models, including importation, and legal certainty for companies operating within the law, with traceable products and international quality standards.

The initiative is aimed at patients, families, healthcare professionals, and civil society, and seeks to sensitize regulatory authorities and public policy makers about the importance of keeping RDC 660 intact as one of the pillars of access to medical cannabis in the country.

The petition is available on the Public Petition platform and can be accessed through the link:

Access here: 

The ICR emphasizes that access to healthcare should not regress and that regulatory decisions need to consider clinical evidence, patient safety, and the right to therapeutic continuity.