We Want Recognition!
“The scenario has improved for the associations, but so what?” Questions the president of the Santa Cannabis patients' association when demanding more dialogue from regulatory agencies and associations regarding the new political scenario
By Pedro Sabaciauskis
What's up, everyone, it took a while but it rocked!
In the first column of the year, I couldn't help but talk about the new Brazilian political reality that has arrived with principles and values very aligned with those of cannabis associations. This takes a burden off these entities and opens the way for a dialogue, in the sense of being recognized by this new government as a Social Heritage of Brazil (of course, for that, we need to organize ourselves).
This recognition is only fair because, adding up all the associations in Brazil, in this last government, hundreds of thousands of people were treated with domestic products. This generated jobs where professionals risk their careers and their freedom to produce low-cost medicine, with little money, little technology, and under the imminent threat of being closed down, in addition to our collaborators being arrested (facing a truculent, inhumane, denialist, and dangerous government) to ensure health for other Brazilians.
Turbulent Scenario
Even with this undesirable scenario, we, from the associations, take responsibility and practice peaceful, controlled civil disobedience, and, as true warriors, we have survived four years of ideological pressure and persecution to make cannabis-based medicines available to all kinds of people in all corners of the country.
Amidst this turbulent scenario, we maintained service and supply, even during the pandemic when, at its peak, not even those with higher purchasing power were able to obtain such products because imports were not arriving. And who ensured it? The associations, of course!
Furthermore, in addition to ensuring supply, it was the associations that fostered the debate on the medicinal use of the plant, to the point where the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) went against the Chief of Staff and recognized its benefits, thus facilitating imports.
It was also through the associations that research and partnerships were generated with public and private universities, companies, institutes, autarchies, political institutions, professional representation federations, accelerators, among others, where