After a year and a half, the Federal Health Risks Commission (COFEPRIS), will finally regulate the medicinal use of marijuana and its scientific research, after it was approved by the Mexican Congress on April 2017 with 374 votes in favor, 11 abstentions and 7 against, now everything points out to the fact that it will be a flourishing industry.
The legislators voted in favor of the bill that reforms the General Health Law and the Federal Criminal Code, “to allow the medicinal and scientific use of cannabis sativa or marijuana.”
“Now in the capital of the state of Quintana Roo it was reported that the Directorate of Protection against Sanitary Risks has received 20 requests for permits to commercialize products containing marijuana”, said Miguel Pino Murillo, COFEPRIS State Coordinator.
He explained that only national authorizations for pharmaceutical use have been given to companies for medicinal use or creation of medicines.
Miguel Pino Murillo Quintana Roo COFEPRIS Coordinator (SIPSE)
Therefore, the Directorate of Protection against Health Risks in the state has carried out a series of verification operations to eradicate from the establishments products that contain some derivative of marijuana.
In Quintana Roo and specifically in Cancun and the entire Riviera Maya, it was learned that many companies in this field would come from the United States, since they were only waiting for the Mexican legislators and authorities to decide to open this market, valued at 1.7 billion dollars a year in Mexico, figure that includes the medicinal and recreational consumption, according to calculations of the Privateer Holdings investment fund.
As soon as legalization of marijuana is approved in Mexico, specialists estimate that there would be a chain reaction similar to that experienced in places like Colorado and Washington State, where cannabis is legal since 2014 for recreational purposes and a buoyant industry has arised.
Lemonade, gummies and even deodorants are some of the products made from marijuana that will be sold for the time being in Mexico in a few months. In Quintana Roo there are 400 applications and recently 20 more were entered.
Cofepris as of November 21st 2018, authorized that seven companies will be able to commercialize, import and export 38 products derived from cannabis. Among the products that were released are 21 food supplements, nine cosmetics, six foods and two raw materials.
Within the range of food supplements you can find fruit gummies with blackberry flavor, s well as lemonade and black tea, while in the range of cosmetics there will be balms, creams and deodorants.
“All the products that will be offered have a concentration of up to 1% or less of THC, the psychoactive substance of cannabis”, said Julio Sánchez y Tépoz, commissioner of the Cofepris.
(Photo: laverdadnoticias.com)
The companies that will be able to commercialize, export and import the products are: CBD Life, CBD Science, Endonatura Life and Master Pharmacies, all of these of Mexican capital; Med Mex and Aceites Orgánicos de América, of US capital, and Finat, a Spanish company.
Rafael Esteban, representative of the Spanish company Finat, explained that gummies could help people who suffer from lack of sleep.
Endonatura Life obtained permission to market, import and export food supplements and capsules containing all the plant’s cannabinoids with a THC concentration of less than 1%.
Master Pharmacies obtained permission to import raw materials to make medicines, which will be sold only with medical prescription.
Master Pharmacies has authorization to prepare medicines with more than 1% concentration of THC, which, explained Karla Monica Luna, representative of the company, will serve for palliative care in cancer patients and even those who suffer from eating disorders such as anorexia, because this substance stimulates appetite.
RMT Newsroom with information from laverdadnoticias.com
