The President of the Chamber of Deputies, Hugo Motta (Republicanos-PB), scheduled for Tuesday (11) the vote on the Appeal (REC) 29 of 2021. The decision is an important step for the future of the Bill (PL) 399/2015, which aims to legalize the cultivation of cannabis for medicinal and industrial purposes.

The vote on the appeal will determine whether PL 399/2015 will be analyzed by all deputies in the plenary or will go directly to the Senate.

The impasse of the appeal against the medicinal cannabis bill

PL 399/2015, authored by former deputy and current governor of the State of Sergipe, Fábio Mitidieri (PSD), amends the Drug Law (11,343/2006). The objective is to enable the commercialization of medicines with extracts from the plant, under the regulation of the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa).

The text also authorizes the cultivation of cannabis in Brazil for these purposes, subject to prior authorization from the public authorities.

The proposal had already been approved in 2021 by a special committee of the Chamber conclusively. This procedural route dispenses with the vote in the plenary, sending the text directly for Senate review.

However, REC 29 of 2021, presented at the time by former deputy Diego Garcia (Podemos-PR), contests this procedure. The appeal argues that the subject is highly complex and, therefore, must be voted on by the 513 deputies.

If the plenary approves the appeal this Tuesday, PL 399/2015 will be required to undergo a general vote in the Chamber. If the appeal is rejected, the decision of the committee is validated and the bill moves forward to the Senate.

Suplicy requests postponement of the vote

Deputy Eduardo Suplicy (PT-SP), one of the main proponents of the agenda, expressed in his social media requesting the postponement of the appeal vote for one week. The reason, according to the deputy, is to ensure the presence of parliamentarians participating in COP30, in Belém.

"Given the relevance of the topic, I appeal to the President of the Chamber, Deputy Hugo Motta, who, as a doctor, has shown great sensitivity to the topic, to postpone the vote for one week," Suplicy posted.

Suplicy emphasized the urgency of regulation, citing that "today more than 800 thousand Brazilians use the medication without the State assuming any responsibility".

He also recalled that the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) set a deadline of May 31 for the subject to be regulated. The deputy, however, criticized the Ministry of Health for not advancing the debate with civil society.

Political articulation for the agenda

The inclusion of the appeal on the agenda comes after weeks of articulation. At the end of October, Suplicy, Minister Paulo Teixeira (Agrarian Development), and other representatives of the topic met with Hugo Motta.

On that occasion, Motta, who is a doctor, classified the medicinal use of cannabis as a matter "very well resolved" in his personal assessment. He committed to meeting with associations linked to the topic.

On another front, Suplicy reported having met with the Chief Minister of the General Secretariat of the Presidency, Guilherme Boulos, and associations. According to the deputy, Boulos "committed to calling the associations for a meeting in Brasília".