Capitol Building, San Juan, Puerto Rico (Flickr/Mike Bash)
SAN JUAN, PR — Puerto Rico’s first legal medical cannabis dispensaries opened their doors last week.
The new facilities are operating in accordance with a 2015 executive order by Gov. Alejandro García Padilla, which called on health officials to regulate the dispensing of cannabis-infused products – such as oils and pills – to qualified patients.
An estimated 2,000 patients within the US territory are authorized to access the products.
Under the new regulatory scheme, patients are not permitted to cultivate their own cannabis.
Herbal preparations of cannabis are not allowed, and smoking the plant is prohibited.
Twenty-three firms are presently licensed on the island to grow, sell, or process cannabis or related products.
Tags: Alejandro García Padilla, medical marijuana, Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico medical marijuana