Chainsaw to cannabis: the freedom to cultivate, produce and consume does not advance

“Ariccame, out!”

In January 2023 Francisco Echarrenuntil then mayor of the Buenos Aires party of Castelliwas put in charge of the Regulatory Agency for the Hemp and Medicinal Cannabis Industry , Rich me a position in which he never felt comfortable. Their duty was to approve that the projects cannabis crops intended for industrial and medicinal use started up could market their production. Companies that, as a previous step, should have had their cannabis strains approved by the National Seed Institute (Fire) and of National Institute of Agricultural Technology (WHILE).

For almost a year the Rich me showed no irregularities. Of course, it would have been difficult since the functioning of the Agency was null. But hours before resigning from his position, on December 10, 2023, Echarren granted six companies “provisional permits” to sell, distribute and export.

Echar He left a loaded pistol on his desk to be fired. And so it was; recently the Rich me Not only was it intervened by the Executive Branch, but also its new director, Ignacio Ferrariha repealed the regulations of the organism.

“Rich me It was never in operation, rather than intervening they should have put it in operation. But the intervention has an objective: the Executive appointed someone who does not need a board or advisory council to make decisions,” he told The Daily Left the specialized lawyer Marcos Chigal. And he added: “The repeal of the regulation of Rich me renders all previous regulations void. Are the provisional permits? Well, the truth is that those permissions were never applied. And it must be taken into account that they were granted for one year, that is, they are winning”.

In that sense, the organization’s lawyer Reset – Drug Policy and Human Rightshighlights: “The real people affected by the repeal of the regulation of Rich me They are the ones who requested provisional permission, but Your process has been left in limbo; people who paid for a permit that was never given and were affected economically and professionally.” Consequently, the industry that, with an “interesting” law, was never able to develop its activities 100% due to inefficient management, crowned with this repeal by the current managers, is also affected.

To this we must add that, arbitrarily, the government decided that the Rich me can only approve, until further notice, projects linked to industrial hemp and not to the therapeutic use of the plant. That is, initiatives by individuals, NGOs and companies that, under the umbrella of Law 27,350 that regulates the use of marijuana for therapeutic purposes, moved forward in pursuit of obtaining authorization from Rich me and today they must return under the protection of the aforementioned law, which, is paralyzed. The inaction of Reprocan It is a reflection of it.

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Argencann: “The Ariccame measure could be judicialized”

The president of the Argentine Cannabis Chamber Pablo Fazio, warned that if the measures taken by the auditor of the Regulatory Agency for the Hemp and Medicinal Cannabis Industry, Ignacio Ferrariare not reviewed in the short term by the organization, the State would face a rain of litigation. In other words, he maintained that “this situation would lead to a judicialization”.

As part of the industry, it refers to the repeal of the regulation of the Rich me which, he states, represents the postponement of the “granting of licenses for medicinal cannabis under the framework of Law 27,669” and the approval of more than 60 projects “previously authorized by the State and recognized by the Ministry of Economy.”

Fazio He adds: “They tell us that we must assume business risk, as if delays were a consequence of bad decisions on our part. But this collides with the apathy of the State and the lack of consistency when it comes to sustaining its actions over time.” And he concludes: “The recent decisions of Rich me also patients and users of medical cannabis are postponedwho see their access to health limited, a right enshrined by the same regulations and guaranteed by the National Constitution.”

Despite the proposal of Fazioboth in the previous management and in the current one there was and there is privileges. While the rules of the game were being modified, the company Rioja Agrogenetics exported 5 kilograms of cannabis flowers to Swiss for medicinal use and announced that it would soon make more shipments. Officially, the company reported that it sold cannabis flowers “from CBD“, when the correct thing would have been to say flowers rich in CBD o cannabidiolone of the cannabinoids in the plant.

“The link between Ferrari y Agrogenética “It is known in the cannabis environment,” an unobjectionable source who preferred to remain anonymous told this medium. And he added: “This company appropriated the first registered national strain in it Fire for cultivation, which was developed by a supportive grower.” Nothing more and nothing less than the one remembered Daniel “The Profe” Loza.

Kobunco Loza: “They are keeping my old man’s spirit of kindness”

Daniel Loza He died six years ago. Months earlier he had been arrested and his home raided. He had been charged with alleged “drug dealing,” but The Judiciary recognized that there was no evidence to sustain the accusation and decided that the case would continue under the heading of “simple possession of narcotics.” Loza was releasedbut he had to serve house arrest.

After being released, Daniel He asked the La Plata judge Marcela Garmendia that the cannabis, tincture and oil that were seized they will not end up destroyed but rather that they were returned for research and medicinal use by those who needed it. After a few weeks Danger died.

Two years later, in an unprecedented event, The Judiciary decided to deliver the seized material to the Conicet material that was in perfect condition since Danger He kept the cannabis vacuum packed. One of its strains, “Fifth Element”was part of the first cannabis cultivation for research purposes in the country, carried out in the Faculty of Exact Sciences of the National University of La Plata (UNLP), and later became the first of national origin to be registered in the Fire . Then Danger was named illustrious citizen of the city of La Plata and today it is synonymous with solidarity cultivation.

The Daily Left chatted with Kobunco Loza about the business you run Rioja Agrogenetics with his father’s cannabis variety Daniel. Given the sensitivity of the matter, he advances: “Nothing I say is in off the recordOtherwise I would be disrespecting my dad who never kept quiet. Let’s chat about these… I was going to say empires, but they are emporiums, run by insensitive wretches”.

Why do you call them insensitive wretches?