UFLA integrates group presenting document to Anvisa on cannabis in scientific research and therapeutic use

A group of 58 researchers from different regions of Brazil presented to the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) a technical-scientific contribution with proposals for improving the rules regarding the cultivation of Cannabis sativa for scientific and therapeutic purposes in the country. The initiative aims to support regulatory debate based on updated scientific evidence and the actual research conditions in the Brazilian context.

The Federal University of Lavras (UFLA) is one of the signatory institutions of the document, represented by the Psychoactive Plants Biotechnology Center (CBPP), a research reference unit in the area, coordinated by Professor Vanessa Cristina Stein from the Department of Biology, Institute of Natural Sciences (CBI/ICN).

Among the main points advocated by the researchers is the need for rules more proportional to the actual risk involved in scientific research with the plant. The group highlights, for example, the importance of reducing bureaucratic obstacles, adopting institutional authorizations instead of fragmented permissions by project, and reviewing technical limits that, according to the experts, lack international scientific consensus, such as the previous 0.3% THC ceiling — a cannabis substance associated with psychoactive effects, whose concentration varies according to the plant variety and research purpose.

The document also emphasizes the relevance of studies conducted in real contexts, including research developed in partnership with patient associations, as a way to expand scientific knowledge and contribute to the development of evidence-based treatments.

The signatories of the contribution include experts from the fields of agronomy, plant genetics, analytical chemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, neuroscience, medicine, public health, and clinical research. The researchers are affiliated with public, community, and private universities, federal research institutes, and academic centers of excellence in various regions of the country.

According to Professor Vanessa, the group of researchers believes that excessively restrictive regulatory framework could compromise Brazil's scientific sovereignty, hinder the training of qualified human resources, and increase the country's dependence on foreign data, technologies, and inputs. “The proposal presented to Anvisa is technical and collaborative in nature, with the aim of contributing to the development of a regulation more aligned with science, health innovation, and societal needs,” she explains.

The researchers also state that Brazil has the opportunity to advance in creating a regulatory model that strengthens national scientific research, stimulates innovation, and enhances the country's autonomy in the field of studies on substances derived from cannabis.

Source: UFLA