For the first time since the Argentine State had to bet on the medicinal properties of cannabis, CONICET granted a license to market seeds developed with its own technology.
The permits were granted to Whale Leaf Farm, a Puerto Madryn company that will work with the distributor Santa Planta to reach points of sale throughout the territory, under guarantee of traceability.
The seeds are a development of Cannabis CONICET, a public consortium that also includes the Arturo Jauretche National University and the “El Cruce” High Complexity Hospital, both in Florencio Varela. Baptized Pachamama and Malvina, they will be used to make cannabis oil preparation under professional indication.
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In recent years, this product has become a promising treatment against refractory epilepsies, diagnosed when at least two medications do not work, and which occur in some 50 million people. “It is believed that cannabis has an inhibitory effect on the epileptic neural network,” explained the scientific coordinator of Cannabis CONICET, Silvia CochenTo the place SciDev.Net .
Meanwhile, more and more families interested in the treatment of other conditionssince cannabinoids can contribute to improving the evolution of behavioral disorders associated with autism, insomnia or post-traumatic stress, adds the neurologist for children and young people Marcelo di Blasi. There are also applications against pain, anxiety, dementia and Parkinson’s.
In 2022, Congress had passed a law that promotes the scientific investigation of the plant and its derivatives, complementing the standard that since 2017 authorized therapeutic use. It was the corollary of a path initiated by organizations such as Mamá Cultiva, which had spent years campaigning for the legalization of substances that until then had been imported at international prices and under the exclusive permission of ANMAT.
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Beyond the achievements of recent years, Di Blasi raises the need for a Comprehensive Drug Law to end the episodes of arbitrary raids and persecution, such as the one last month in El Hoyo (Chubut), when the police seized the work items of a grower who had all authorizations in order.
Other pending advances are the implementation of harm reduction programs for users with problematic consumption, continuing education for health professionals and dissemination of precautions for consumption to the general population.
AO JL
