Puerto Rico Governor Legalizes Medical Marijuana

Puerto Rico’s Governor signed an executive order that will immediately bring medical marijuana to thousands of patients in the U.S. territory.

Governor Alejandro García Padilla noted that several studies conducted in the United States have demonstrated the therapeutic value of marijuana and its derivatives, which led to the signing of Executive Order 2015-10. The island’s Secretary of Health can now authorize the medical use of substances derived from the cannabis plant.

“These studies support the use of the plant to relieve pain caused by multiple sclerosis, AIDS virus, glaucoma, Alzheimer’s disease, migraine, Parkinson’s and other diseases that often do not respond to traditional treatments,” stated García Padilla.

Puerto Rico is the second U.S. territory to legalize marijuana for medical use. In November 2014, 56% of voters in Guam approved the Compassionate Cannabis Use Act, which will bring medical marijuana legalization to the island in late 2015.