Medical Marijuana Will Soon Be Legal in Puerto Rico

Medical marijuana will soon be legal in Puerto Rico, provided the executive order signed by its governor, Alejandro Garcia Padilla, unfolds as planned.

Reports AP Online:

“We’re taking a significant step in the area of health that is fundamental to our development and quality of life,” Garcia said in a statement. “I am sure that many patients will receive appropriate treatment that will offer them new hope.”

The order directs the health department to authorize the use of some or all controlled substances or derivatives of the cannabis plant for medical use.

Garcia said the government also will soon outline the specific authorized uses of marijuana and its derivatives for medical purposes. He noted that medical marijuana is used in the U.S. mainland and elsewhere to treat pain associated with migraines and illnesses including epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and AIDS.

Details, as far whether the medical marijuana can be grown on the island (which, sometimes, I forget is a U.S. territory and regulated as such) or has to be imported, and which illnesses—in particular, those which inflict chronic pain on those affected—would be allowed prescription benefits are still to be determined, but so far, it seems like these are progressive steps in the right direction for both the medical marijuana industry and alternative healthcare practitioners.