The First Section of the Superior Court of Justice (STJ in Portuguese), in , considered it legally possible to grant sanitary authorization for the sowing, cultivation and commercialization of industrial hemp – a variation of Cannabis sativa with a tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content of less than 0.3% – by legal entities, for exclusively medicinal and pharmaceutical purposes.

For the collegiate, however, the authorization must comply with the rules that will be published, within a maximum period of six months (from the publication of the ruling), by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) and by the Union, within the scope of their competences.

Among other reasons, the First Section considered that the low THC content present in industrial hemp eliminates the possibility of psychoactive effects and, therefore, distinguishes the plant from marijuana and other variations of cannabis used for drug production. Consequently, the panel understood that hemp is not subject to the prohibitions established in the Drug Law (Law 11.343/2006) and other regulations, and its cultivation is possible in the national territory.