A Brazilian court has authorized homegrown cultivation of cannabis for medical reasons for a very limited number of patients. 

On Tuesday, Brazil’s highest court issued a ruling that enabled three patients to cultivate cannabis as part of their self-treatment. It is expected that this judgement would be implemented fairly for all patients in Brazil who use marijuana for medical purposes.

The decision reached by the Sixth Panel of the Superior Court of Justice was unanimous. This is a turning moment in Brazil’s cannabis law, since it represents a break from the country’s prohibition on homegrown cultivation.

Due to the fact that the Brazilian Ministry of Health has no regulations for the home cultivation of cannabis for therapeutic purposes, anybody who participates in this activity, with the exception of the three individuals authorized to do so, risks arrest.

Currently, Brazilian law limits the medical use of marijuana-derived products to imported goods. After Tuesday’s ruling, however, people in need of medicinal cannabis in Brazil may soon have the option to supply their own cannabis. 

The five-judge panel of the nation’s Superior Court of Justice concluded unanimously that the three patients may cultivate cannabis for their own medicinal needs.