The Ministry of Health (Minsa) officially announced the establishment of the Technical Council for Medical Cannabis, a key body for the implementation, monitoring, and strengthening of Law 242 of October 2021, which regulates the medicinal and therapeutic use of cannabis and its derivatives in the country. The council will hold monthly sessions and is composed of representatives from various state institutions and civil society, ensuring a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to decision-making. Its main objective is to ensure that patients have safe and regulated access to medical cannabis treatments under strict standards of safety, control, quality, and medical care. Minister of Health Fernando Boyd Galindo explained that the law protects the right of patients to receive these treatments, and currently, the National Directorate of Pharmacy and Drugs has issued three manufacturing licenses for medical cannabis derivatives, in addition to one license for pharmacies, with a second one under evaluation. In turn, Eric Conte, director of the Directorate of Medicines and Supplies and president of the Council, detailed that the body's main functions will include the development of educational and social policies, the review of regulations on control, quality, and surveillance, the evaluation of protocols and clinical guidelines, as well as the monitoring of the import, production, research, and access to the products. He added that the council will also periodically evaluate the National Program for the Study and Medicinal Use of Cannabis and promote that derivative products are accessible to patients. The Council is integrated by: The Minister of Health or his appointee, who presides. The Minister of Public Security or his appointee. The Minister of Agricultural Development or his appointee. The Minister of Commerce and Industry or his appointee. The general director of the National Customs Authority or his appointee. The general director of the Social Security Fund or his appointee. Two representatives of patient organizations with chronic and degenerative diseases. One representative of medical-scientific research organizations in medical cannabis. Minsa highlighted that this council will strengthen the governance of the system, ensure transparency in the processes, and guarantee that the development of medical cannabis in Panama is carried out under standards of quality, safety, and benefit for the population. In parallel, Panama took a significant step with the opening, last January, of the first specialized pharmacy for cannabis-derived products, Canna Pharma, part of the Pan American Cannabis Consortium, established in February 2024. This consortium is one of the seven companies that obtained a license from Minsa.
