A 6,900-stalk plantation in Chile officially became the largest medical cannabis farm in Latin America on Tuesday, Reuters reports.
According to Ana Maria Gazmuri, who heads the foundation that operates the farm, “This farm will further permit people to see for themselves the reality of the plant, and what its uses are.”
Chile is a traditionally conservative country, but public perception regarding cannabis has been shifting toward the support of compassionate cannabis treatments. The project was delayed by opposition posed by some government officials, but Gazmuri said that most progressive issues such as marriage equality and cannabis reform have been gaining popularity.
Located about 170 miles south of Santiago, the farm is expected to provide cannabis for some 4,000 patients around Chile. Organizers hope to harvest 1.65 tons of cannabis between March and May, and have indicated that the crop will be sent to laboratories to develop cannabis-based therapies for patients suffering from chronic pain, severe epilepsy, complications from cancer and other ailments.