An Argentine Retiree Could Be Jailed for Self-medicating with Medical Cannabis

Alcides H.’s life took a sharp turn in 2014 when Santa Fe (Argentina) police began to follow him closely, even recording and photographing everything occurring in front of his house. Now, at age 71, he is being prosecuted and could be sentenced to 4-15 years in prison for having cultivated medical marijuana to treat his conditions. For now he has to pay a 20,000-dollar (around 18,000 euro) fine.

He was growing five plants at his own home, which he has not only smoked as medicine for the past 15 years, but has also used to extract medicinal oils. The cannabis relieved his cervical discomfort and back pain, and alleviated his depression and limited appetite. In the plant he found what he needed "after trying pharmaceutical products, which were a failure," he said.

Despite the weak evidence, he has now been accused of marketing cannabis, after police allegedly witnessed an exchange of money and substances between him and another individual. Law enforcement agencies raided his home and seized his plants. However, besides his seeds, fertilizer, lamps and rolling paper, they could find nothing indicating that he was producing on a large scale. The defendant insists that everything he grew was for personal consumption.

The incident has sparked controversy in the country, where, when it comes to the decriminalisation of marijuana, the boundary between personal use and sale is very difficult to draw.

Alcides says his intentions were always the same, and that he obtained his knowledge via the Internet and through consultation with medical professionals at the Asociación Rosarina de Estudios de Cannabis (AREC), which is involved in the case. Despite the trying situation and the fact that he considers it a serious injustice, he says that he is not afraid, and that they will not be able to find anything wrong with his conduct.