Paraguay Puts Medicinal Hemp Oil into Practice

For the 6.7 million people living in Paraguay, the professional medical community can now prescribe a cannabis derived medication, Real Scientific Hemp Oil-X (RSHO-X) and Blue Label (RSHO) should the patient need it.

And best of all, it’s completely legal.

In a country that has long been embattled in trying to prevent the growth and distribution of illegal marijuana, this action is significant and most definitely not one that will be overlooked by the watching world.

Like so many other countries, Paraguay has struggled to adopt some sort of reasonable and effective stance when it comes to marijuana. Long considered an illegal recreational drug, it has been a source of criminal activity for decades. However, that does not diminish the practical medical applications that are unique to the marijuana plant.

Under the watchful eye and careful control of the country’s health ministry, Ministerio de Salud Publica v Bienestar Social, MSPBS, (Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare), recognized medical distribution companies in the country will be allowed to offer the organic cannabis product to patients who have a warranted need for it.

5-year Price Chart: Medical Marijuana, Inc. (MJNA)

RSHO and RSHO-X have both been registered with the Paraguay government, allowing them to be distributed as medicine in the country. Medical Marijuana Inc. (OTCMKTS:MJNA), the company behind this groundbreaking deal is well known as the first publicly traded cannabis company in the United States of America.

Paraguay has held the unfortunate reputation for many decades as the largest grower of illegal marijuana in South America, and second in the world just behind Mexico. In a report put forth by the United Nations in 2011, Paraguay was credited as supplying a whopping 15% of the world’s supply of marijuana.

For a country that is fully embroiled in the war against marijuana cultivation and trafficking, the transition to recognizing the potential benefits can be a jagged pill to swallow.

RSHO and RSHO-X

In other countries, governments leaders are feeling the pressure from the medical community as well as their citizens to rethink whether or not cannabis is criminal. Meanwhile, Paraguay is contending with an estimated 10,000 to 60,000 tons of marijuana being harvested inside its borders each year. It’s little wonder that farmers of legal crops find themselves planting marijuana, purely for economic reasons.

Despite these overwhelming problems, or possibly because of them, the ninth most populated country in South America has somehow managed to take some small steps in recognizing that not all weed is bad weed.

Marijuana was taken off the dangerous substance list and an allowance was made for possession of up to 10 grams for personal use. Still, neither of these are quite as significant as allowing a cannabis-based drug into the country for legal distribution and use for medical purposes.

While the term medicinal marijuana is dropped into many conversations, protests and arguments, there are only small derivatives of the plant being purposed for pharmaceutical use.

Flag of Paraguay

The marijuana plant, as a whole is not likely to be approved for medical use any time soon. However, the plant contains chemicals called cannabinoids, over a hundred different types of cannabinoids as a matter of fact.

Cannabinoids are also part of the human body’s chemical makeup, participating in such cognitive functions as time perception, memory and thinking, but also contributing to the use of senses; sight, sound, taste, touch and smell, not to mention appetite and pain control.

So, a plant that produces so many different cannabinoids can definitely play a role in the care and treatment of the body. Cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are two of the chemical properties taken from the marijuana plant to be used for medical treatment. THC is the part of the marijuana plant that leaves people feeling euphoric or high, thanks to its psychotropic properties.

CBD is less exciting for recreational users as it doesn’t have any of the feel good, mind-altering properties, but it does provide relief from pain, inflammation as well as reduces seizures associated with diseases like epilepsy.

The three approved medicines on the world market using these cannabinoids are Sativex (containing both THC & CBD) and Epidiolex (containing CBD). RSHO and RSHO-X have the distinction of offering the full spectrum benefits of Real Scientific Hemp Oil, but with two formulas, one with CBD and THC and the X version, that eliminates the THC.

The significance of Paraguay putting a medicinal hemp oil into the hands of practitioners is a benefit to the many patients who had previously been denied such resources. In a country with obviously jaded views about marijuana, the recognition and inclusion of the medical use of marijuana is a gateway for other countries to give up unwarranted opposition to a plant that provides many opportunities for enhancing treatment, well being and quality of care.