South America may have a new country to allow medical cannabis if a bill proposed by Peru’s president is approved by the legislature.
President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski introduced the proposal after a police raid in the capital city of Lima discovered a group of parents growing pot so they could make oils to treat children suffering from epilepsy and other ailments, according to Peruvian TV station TeleSUR.
The bill’s chances of success, however, seem small given that the legislature is dominated by the ultra-conservative political party Fuerza Popular, which controls 72 of 130 seats and is led by Keiko Fujimori, archrival of Kuczynski and the daughter of imprisoned former dictator Alberto Fujimori.
Even if the bill is successful, recreational marijuana would still be banned, meaning the nation won’t be following in Uruguay’s footsteps anytime soon.
Other Latin American countries that have legalized medical marijuana include Chile and Colombia. Brazil also allows for non-psychoactive cannabis products such as CBD oil.