17/11/2025
🌿 SUMMARY - Medicinal Cannabis (THC) in Panama
• Patients are still waiting because the official patient registry isn’t active yet, meaning pharmacies can’t dispense anything.
• First products will be imported and pricey, since local production is still years away. 💸
• Advocates like Enma Pinzón say cannabis is a proven therapeutic alternative for chronic pain without the kidney-damaging effects of NSAIDs.
• MINSA removed the required doctor training — now any licensed physician can prescribe, but this creates uneven knowledge among providers. 🩺
• The old “approved diseases list” was eliminated — good news, because science evolves and treatment options should too.
• Five companies have licenses, but they must still complete import permits and regulatory steps.
• Patient groups agree: until the registry, training clarity, pricing, and oversight are in place, real access isn’t guaranteed. ⚖️
🌱 Patients are hopeful — but still waiting for a system that actually works.
Medicinal cannabis is not reaching patients because the registry remains inactive and the first products will be imported and expensive, warned Enma Pinzón, from the Federation of Chronic Diseases.
