Argentina
Argentina legalized CBD and cannabis for medicinal and scientific research purposes in March 2017.
However, according to Pablo Cano Trilla. there is a significant black market for cannabis products due to a lack of enforcement.
“The law is ambiguous and as a result there are different interpretations of what exactly is permitted under the regulations in various regional jurisdictions,” he said.
The state is also getting in on the game.
In November last year, for instance, the government of Jujuy, a province in the northwest, announced plans to develop the world’s biggest legal cannabis farm (14,000 hectares) through a joint venture between Cannabis Avatãra State Society - a company that it owns - and US firm Green Leaf Farms.
“This joint venture has obtained permits to grow, extract, manufacture and export cannabis-based products to other countries where these products are legal,” said a statement by the provincial government.
Meanwhile, in the western province of San Juan, better known for its wine and olive oil, Canada’s Wayland Group recently bought land to grow medical marijuana.
Adrian Bartnicki is the manager of BCBD, a vertically-integrated Uruguayan cannabis supplier, which also makes CBD-infused yerba mate.
He sees Argentina as something of a sleeping giant in terms of consumer demand for BCBD's products.
“The biggest market is Argentina, but the regulatory situation is not ready yet,” Bartnicki told us. “We are working together with local authorities to unlock the situation.”
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