Minister Regina Helena Costa, from the Superior Court of Justice (STJ), acknowledged that the Union and the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) complied, albeit partially and temporarily, with the judicial determination regarding the regulation of cannabis cultivation in Brazil.

According to the judge, there was an effective mobilization by federal agencies and entities in the process of revising the current regulation. The actions already taken demonstrate concrete and sufficient efforts — at least at this moment — to prevent a scenario of government omission.

STJ approves Action Plan for cannabis cultivation 

The minister's statement is included in the ruling published on June 23, in which the STJ approves the Action Plan presented by the Union and Anvisa. The document outlines measures for regulating the importation of seeds, cultivation, and commercialization of industrial hemp in the country, for medicinal, pharmaceutical, and industrial purposes.

As part of the decision, the STJ also set the deadline of September 30, 2025 for the full implementation of the guidelines contained in the plan.

Eight strategic actions and weekly checkpoints

In addition to the official delivery of the plan on May 19, the government proposed eight strategic actions to ensure the implementation of the measures. One of them involves the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) issuing, by July 31, 2025, a new Normative Ordinance with phytosanitary requirements for the importation of industrial cannabis seeds.

The Ministry of Health must prepare a technical note proposing the final version of the Ordinance by August 29. The final version of the Ordinance will be approved and published by the ministry on September 30.  

The plan document itself states that weekly checkpoints will be established to assess the completion of the stages and make necessary adjustments.