- Title: In Peru, mothers rouse support for legalizing medical marijuana
- Date: 2nd March 2017
- Summary: LIMA, PERU (RECENT) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SECURITY ADVISOR FOR THE MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR, LEONARDO CAPARROS, SAYING: "The medicinal use of marijuana and other drugs, it is not the only drug that is used in this way, is known and widespread throughout the world, and we believe that, after having seen this reality, that there is probably a gap in our legislation
- Embargoed: 16th March 2017 18:56
- Keywords: marijuana THC Pedro Pablo Kuczynski CBD Lima Cannabis Searching for Hope
- Location: LIMA, PERU
- City: LIMA, PERU
- Country: Peru
- Topics: Crime/Law/Justice
- Reuters ID: LVA002669PXS3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Ana Alvarez, a working mother of two in Lima, never imagined being on the frontlines of a fight for marijuana in conservative Peru.
But a police raid on a makeshift cannabis lab that she and other women started in order to soothe the symptoms of their sick children has roused support for medical marijuana, prompting President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski to propose legalizing it in the latest pivot away from decades-old restrictions on drug use in Latin America.
Protesters, most of them mothers of sick children, gathered outside Peru's Ministry of the Interior on Thursday (March 2), just several weeks after the minister's security advisor, Leonardo Caparros said changes to the law were being considered.
"The medicinal use of marijuana and other drugs, it is not the only drug that is used in this way, is known and widespread throughout the world, and we believe that, after having seen this reality, that there is probably a gap in our legislation for this type of use. In this sense, whilst the Minister of the Interior clearly prioritises safety, he also considers that he cannot remain blind to realities such as the medical use of some marijuana derivatives," Caparros said on February 15.
Alvarez said cannabis oil is the only drug that helped contain her son's seizures and psychotic episodes as he suffers from Tuberous Sclerosis (TSC) and Lennox Syndrome. She and other women in similar situations formed the group Searching for Hope to seek legal backing as they honed techniques for producing the drug.
"Before, I only saw this as a drug, I never imagined I would find an alternative use for this plant and a way of improving my son's quality of life. Marijuana oil contains THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol - the active ingredient which produces a high). Marijuana can be separated from the CBD (Cannabidiol - a non-psychoactive compound), and has to be done in a laboratory. It never went through my mind before that at some moment I would be fighting to defend this plant," said Alvarez.
She added that the collective had written to Peru's Congress and to the Health Ministry but received two negative responses.
However, the police bust put the women's plight on national television, triggering an outpouring of sympathy as they marched with their children in tow to demand police "give us our medicine back."
It is unclear if the right-wing opposition-controlled Congress will pass Kuczynski's proposed legislation, which would allow marijuana to be imported and sold in Peru for medical reasons and could permit domestic production after two years.
Kuczynski, a 78-year-old socially liberal economist, once provoked an uproar for saying that smoking a joint "isn't the end of the world."
But an Ipsos poll conducted following the raid showed 65 percent of Peruvians favour legalising medical marijuana, and another 13 percent back legalising the drug for recreational use.
If the bill is passed, Peru would follow neighboring Chile and Colombia in legalising the medical use of marijuana. Mexico's Senate has approved a bill to permit the use of medical marijuana, while Uruguay has fully legalized cannabis from seed to smoke.
In the meantime, Searching for Hope has turned to the black market. Member Roxana Tasayco said cannabis oil had given her terminal cancer-stricken mother her appetite back and calmed her vomiting and nausea, whilst Dorothy Santiago said it had dramatically helped her young son.
"Rodrigo has a tumour in a zone which puts his life at risks. What we want is to better his quality of life because since he was three months old until the day he has suffered convulsions. With cannabis, we have been able to reduce his convulsions drastically and make his days better," said Santiago. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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