- The Canadian company Xebra Brands obtained the first permit to cultivate, produce and commercialize cannabis for industrial purposes in Mexico.
- In response to the above, Cofepris filed a complaint and a disagreement appeal against the agreement, due to the serious risk to health that an authorization of this type represents.
- It affirms that there is not enough technical information to guarantee the safety of the product owned by the multinational company.
Today has been historic because the Canadian company Xebra Brands obtained permission to cultivate, process, produce and market cannabis for industrial purposes in Mexico. It is the first company to obtain authorization, although it was immediately Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris) He published his version of events.
Through a statement, he said that he works as a guarantor of the protection of people’s health. He also mentions that he has collaborated with other institutions derived from the mandate of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) ordering different authorizations related to the different uses of cannabis.
The version of the health authorities
The document adds that it is necessary to inform that the authorizations issued by the regulatory agency are based on the legal framework that governs regulatory action, from the General Health Law, regulations, official standards, agreements and guidelines, which are published in the Diario Official of the Federation (DOF). Therefore, Cofepris lacks powers in the entire process that involves various mandates of the judicial system, such as planting or importing seeds.
In this sense, it is reported that, in compliance with an amparo judgment, this authority was forced by the Second District Court to issue an authorization for the cultivation, processing, production and commercialization of industrial cannabis, as well as the seed import and plant material processing and cannabidiol oil production.
Judicial ruling forces Cofepris to issue sanitary authorization for hemp: it represents a health riskhttps://t.co/mTrGEveNCQ pic.twitter.com/ZBJQgzsttL
— COFEPRIS (@COFEPRIS) March 9, 2023
The health authority highlights that it complied with its obligations as a public institution, abiding by judicial provisions in the face of threats of fines and dismissal of public servants. However, you do not have enough information to determine that this product is safe for the purposes for which the multinational company intends to use it.
Cofepris does not agree with the legal decision
The above is mentioned because the authorizations determined by a court ruling are not always aligned with the legal framework in question. Even so, he stresses that the obligation to cofepris as a public institution at the service of the population is to abide by judicial provisions.
Due to the serious risk to health that an authorization of this type represents, and in coordination with the Ministry of the Interior (Segob), complaint and disagreement appeals have been filed in the Third Collegiate Circuit Court. This seeks to reverse and invalidate the authorization in order to protect people’s health.
The regulation of products containing cannabis and its derivatives is subject to an intense work schedule to establish the necessary regulatory framework to determine quality and safety standards throughout the supply chain, manufacturing, storage, among other processes.
This work has required the integration of various institutions that participate in the analysis and elaboration of the different normative elements essential for the adequate regulatory approach, from its documentary evaluation, scientific analysis and sanitary surveillance.
Finally, cofepris It will continue on the path to guarantee, and even pay to build, the necessary regulatory framework so that all authorizations issued by this national agency meet quality and safety standards.
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