The recent police action in Lins (SP) resonates in the Federal Senate. Mara Gabrilli (PSD-SP), an active figure in the cause's defense, was one of the critical voices of the operation. "As a senator of the Republic and a user of medical cannabis, I am closely familiar with the daily struggle of those living with chronic pain and many other debilitating conditions," stated Gabrilli.

The senator strongly criticized the approach to the case, emphasizing the discrepancy between the public health need and the criminal response. "It is completely absurd that, in 2025, we are discussing access to health in a police report," declared Mara Gabrilli.

Last Thursday (16), a operation by the Civil Police at the Santa Gaia Association resulted in the seizure and destruction of hundreds of plants, leaving over 9,000 patients without assistance.

"This is not what patients need, much less the organizations that fight daily to ensure treatment for those who cannot import these medications, which are inaccessible to most of the Brazilian population."

Gabrilli also pointed out the bureaucratic limbo that fosters situations like the one in Lins. "We know that without Anvisa's authorization to commercialize medications, organizations are at the mercy of bureaucracy to legalize their operations," she said.

"On the other hand, without the work of these organizations, it is the patients who are most affected. And it is they who need a more empathetic look from our authorities."

The legal impasse of the association

The operation was motivated by an investigation requested by the Public Prosecutor's Office. According to authorities, the association was operating without the necessary Anvisa documentation for cultivation in national territory.

In total, 466 marijuana plants and another 96 in the oil production phase, as well as equipment, were seized. The founder and president of Santa Gaia, Guilherme Viel, was arrested on the spot on charges including falsification of therapeutic products and drug trafficking.

While the political debate on regulation continues in Brasília, Santa Gaia's situation had a new chapter in the courts. On Tuesday (21), days after the police operation, the Federal Regional Court of the 3rd Region (TRF3) granted a safe-conduct to the association.

The urgency of a legal framework for medical cannabis

For the senator, the incident in Lins "clearly triggers the urgent need to regulate the medical use of this plant in our country". She advocates for the approval of Bill 5511/2023, authored by her, which aims to create the Legal Framework for Medical Cannabis in Brazil.

The proposal seeks to regulate the entire cycle: cultivation, production, commercialization, and dispensing of cannabis-based products, including industrial hemp. A central point of PL 5511 is the inclusion of self-cultivation by individuals, provided it is with a medical prescription and authorization.

"We need to advance in the responsible and humanized regulation of medical cannabis," concluded the senator.