Green Light for Latin America’s First Medical Cannabis Plantation

Photo: Agricultural and livestock service director Óscar Concha explaining approval

Paradise Seeds is celebrating the news that Chile has become the first South American country to authorize a medical cannabis growing programme to provide “compassionate use of cannabis oil therapy for relief” to oncology patients.

The Dutch seed bank has been chosen to partner the project, which will be run by alternative therapy organization Fundación Daya (Daya Foundation). Paradise Seeds is providing the seeds to grow plants for the purpose of cannabis oil extraction. The oil will be used to develop therapies for 200 cancer patients.

Authorization for the project has come from the Chilean Government’s Agricultural and Livestock Service, which announced the project yesterday (September 8^th). The programme is a joint initiative between Fundación Daya and the municipality of La Florida (with a population of more than 360,000 people) and will benefit public health patients and Fundación Daya beneficiaries.

The landmark decision to authorize the growing of medical marijuana in Chile was achieved through the hard work of the Fundación Daya, an organization set up by Chilean actress and social activist, Ana Mariá Gazmuri. It comes at a time when the topic of cannabis criminalization has been the focus of increasing debate in the country. The reform movement has many high profile supporters, from celebrities and academics to politicians, including a former president.

Fundación Daya will be working with the Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy at the University of Valparaiso to produce medical quality cannabis oil, extracted from the cannabis plants grown on its plantation. It will train public health workers in how to use the oil for palliative care and pain relief.

The organization have chosen five Paradise seeds varieties to be grown. The Amsterdam based seed company has a track record of working with growers and assisting medical cultivation projects in Canada. It also has a history of growing strains, such as Pandora and Nebula, which have been recognised for having medical qualities. These varieties are amongst those chosen for the programme, as well as Durga Mata 2 CBD, a strain developed specifically for medical users, which was released earlier this year.

Luc Krol from Paradise Seeds commented, “This is a fantastic decision by the Chilean Government which has shown real forward thinking in this issue. We look forward to working with the Fundación Daya and sharing our knowledge of medicinal cannabis with them. We are confident this project will have a positive effect on the cancer patients involved.”

Contact:

Fundación Daya: nicolas.dormal@fundaciondaya.cl

Paradise Seeds: info@paradise-seeds.com