Illegal (2014) - full transcript
Documentary about Brazilian mothers who save their children thanks to the medicinal use of Marijuana, which is illegal in Brazil.
You have reached ANVISA
the Brazilian National Health
Surveillance Agency.
Good afternoon, Aline speaking.
Who am I speaking with?
Good afternoon, Aline.
My name is Katiele.
ILLEGAL
I've ordered something
from the US, but it hasn't arrived.
Instead, I've received
a telegram.
It asks for the product's name
and manufacturer.
Also, it requires
a statement containing the use
and the purpose
of the product I'm importing.
It says that the statement
must contain
all the required information.
But actually, they're not
requiring any information.
What kind of product is it?
It's a dietary supplement.
If it's not a restricted product
or anything that requires
a prescription...
It's a controlled product.
So a doctor or anyone
enabled to prescribe it
will have to certify
that you need it.
Yes, I already have
a statement.
I'll read it to you, OK?
"Anny Bortoli, 5 years old",
this is my daughter.
"She has a very rare disorder."
"She displays
a psycho-motor disorder"
"as a result
of a brain disease."
"Among the symptoms
she has seizures."
"It's resistant to every treatment
available in the country."
"I hereby justify
the request for cannabidiol"
"based on what was said above",
which is her current situation.
When we found out about the CBD
and decided to import it,
we knew it came from
Cannabis sativa,
and for this reason,
it was illegal in the country.
But the agony of seeing my daughter
having seizures every day
was so big
that we decided to face it
and bring the medication
no matter how,
even if we had
traffic it.
And that's what we did.
That's the word: trafficking.
Anny was planned.
We planned on having her
since the first one was born.
So, when she was born,
we were very happy,
but I knew there was
something about her eyes.
Then, in typical
mother-and-daughter moment,
when you are staring
at your little baby,
when you can
smell their scent...
I was holding her
when she had
her first seizure.
It was a mixture
of fear and astonishment,
because that should not
be happening to me.
To my daughter.
To my family.
It didn't seem real,
you know?
She didn't move
she didn't smile...
She looked like a little doll...
...quiet, static.
When she was three,
she was able to walk.
She could actually stand up
and take confident steps.
That was a very important moment,
because, at the age of three,
she could finally walk.
The whole thing was
a moment of joy.
But right after that...
...she began to have
more aggressive seizures,
and due to the syndrome
and the attacks,
she started to lose
her abilities.
And after four months,
she had already forgotten
everything she had accomplished
over three years.
I think it was one of the saddest
moments of our lives.
But despite the sadness,
we never lost hope...
...that one day she would
be able to recover her abilities.
And it was precisely
this feeling of hope
that made us search
all over the world
for something
that could really help her.
And what we found was CBD.
Cannabidiol is a compound
that is found in Cannabis sativa,
the marijuana tree.
It doesn't have any psychoactive
effects and it's responsible
for some of the species'
medicinal properties.
When she was 35 days old,
she started having seizures.
And that's when
our fight began.
It was the acceptance phase,
I would cry a lot,
I would go to class crying
and I would come back crying.
I would think:
"I have a special daughter".
It was a mission,
and I knew it.
When she was born, I thought:
"She is perfect".
But after a month,
she had a seizure,
and we didn't think
it was something serious.
So you start to look
for a solution.
You start to go
to spiritual centers
and try every option
there is to try.
It took us two and a half years
to diagnose it.
The doctors used to say:
"It could be this or that".
"You have to take her abroad."
I have always dealt with
her situation better than him.
He suffers quite a bit more
than I do.
One night, he suddenly
woke me up and said:
"You know, there is a girl
that has been using"
"a medicine
made from marijuana,"
"and she has achieved
great results."
"It seems that, within 15 days,
the seizures have stopped."
He was so excited,
and I was still sleeping.
We had already tried
all kinds of medication.
Nothing worked,
and we were feeling depressed.
Suddenly, you find
someone in the same situation,
who found a new drug
that has been working.
I looked at it and saw
that it was working.
The whole cannabis
and CBD thing,
I had no idea that
people could use
one of the compounds of the tree
to produce medicine.
I never had any prejudice
towards marijuana,
so, for me, it didn't seem
so complicated
as it would seem to other people.
It was a relief to know
that in the US there was
this little girl
who had been using it
and the medicine
was actually working.
Then, you start to think:
"If anyone wants to sue me,
go ahead."
Katiele is much like me.
She laughed right away
and took it with humor.
She started
to follow my instructions.
I didn't quite know
it worked over there,
but when I told her the news,
I sounded like an insane person.
"Hey, people are giving marijuana
to this little girl and it's working,"
"do you want to try it
as well?"
What we were told
when we were children, is that
this is a drug, so you have to
keep away from it,
it's evil.
This was the impression I had.
After trying everything
and nothing worked,
the possibility that
this could help
puts and end
to any sort of prejudice.
Even if it's something bad,
in theory.
In the beginning,
I didn't believe in it,
but the actual
consequence,
the results from using it
were excellent.
We were given
a contact in the US.
This contact
would make the purchase,
receive the product,
hide it in a box,
and send it to Brazil.
We would receive it at home,
through the mail.
As soon as we realized
it was working,
we started to look for a way
to buy it again.
This time, the package
disappeared.
It was held.
The customs sent it
to ANVISA,
which soon after,
sent us a telegram.
You have reached ANVISA,
the Brazilian National Health
Surveillance Agency.
Good afternoon, Camila speaking.
Who am I speaking with?
Good afternoon, Camila,
my name is Katiele.
Look, Camila,
here's the thing.
I have imported a product
and I received a telegram...
I need to speak with someone
from ANVISA who may help me.
I'll be honest with you:
I don't know where this product is.
I don't have much time,
I need this product.
I won’t read
the regulation again
and won't
contact you again either.
It doesn't make sense.
I ask you for an explanation
and you tell me to read
the regulation I don't understand,
and then you tell me
to call you back.
It's easier if we
cut all this bureaucracy:
I'm already talking to you
and I don't know the regulation.
So put me in touch
with someone who can tell me
what I can do to buy
the product I need.
Ma'am, all this information
was already given to you.
This is how we proceed.
Will I have to go through this
every time I import?
Will my daughter have to stay
at home convulsing?
She'll keep having
60 seizures every week?
I don't know
if you did the math,
but it adds up to
one seizure every two hours.
How much will I have to wait
to have this product
after answering
the telegram?
That's why we're telling you
to contact the post office,
because the product
is being held there.
OK.
So you're telling me
you can't help me
and I'll have to go
to the post office?
To the post office, yes.
Can I help you with
anything else?
I think so,
but you're telling me different.
Alright, then.
Thanks anyway.
It's alright.
Its alright.
That's it, it's OK.
A seizure is
something that...
When you see it
for the first time,
it seems the person
is about to die.
So, for a mother,
it's like seeing their child
dying every time.
Regarding epilepsy cases
that are more aggressive,
you will often see the child's
development being affected.
I always go this way.
Both, child and mother,
are traumatized
from constant visits
to hospitals or ERs.
At this moment, the family
takes the responsibility for this.
I understand very well,
because
you try to put yourself
on their shoes.
And the mother is forced
to take a leap in the dark.
This worries me,
because medical attention
is essential.
We get very concerned,
because while the doctors
want to help us,
there's also
the lack of research.
So we try to work together,
right, doctor?
As professionals,
we get a little insecure
when facing the possibility
of receiving some penalty
or even having
our credentials suspended,
in the worst case scenario.
So we have to fight
for our right to research.
I believe the mothers
and their children have the right
to have more researches being
carried out about cannabidiol.
In 2013, we were
very worried
that we were not able
to tell the doctor
the amount of seizures
she used to have.
We would show him the numbers,
but I believe
the numbers couldn't
really represent it.
So we developed a graphic
that showed
the distribution of attacks
over the days
and a weekly and monthly
perception.
For instance,
the numbers from October
show the amount
Os attacks she was having.
And the numbers
were quite large.
In November, the number of seizures
were also pretty high,
until 11/11, when we gave her
the first doses of cannabidiol.
It took a while
to have any effect,
but we could see
the graphic began to clear up.
By the end of November,
the number of seizures
had already decreased.
From 60 to 19.
After that, in December,
Anny had a few infections,
she got sick,
but even so, the number
of seizures decreased.
By January, we could really
feel the difference.
Because by the second
week of the month,
the attacks had practically
stopped.
So even with the infections
and the sore throat,
she didn't have seizures
anymore.
But in February,
we ran out of medicine
and the amount of seizures
increased again.
A sense of hopelessness, right?
Good afternoon.
Welcome to the post office
call center.
This line is exclusive for
compliments, suggestions,
and complaints.
All our operators
are busy at the moment.
Please, hold on the line.
TELEGRAM
All the operators
are still busy.
Please, hold a little longer.
Michele speaking,
who am I speaking with?
Good afternoon, Michele,
my name is Katiele.
Good afternoon, Katiele,
how can I help you?
How much is the product,
Mrs. Katiele?
-One hundred dollars.
-One hundred?
You were asked
to give all this information?
Yes.
ANVISA has approved it and put it
under special evaluation.
The army
or institutions like that.
-Is it a dietary supplement?
-Yes, it is.
It's a supplement that...
...controls
my daughter's seizures.
I see.
Can you see why it's urgent?
Yes.
Maybe you can ask for help
at an authorized agency
associated with ANVISA.
How much time will I have
to wait for an answer?
Initially, five days.
-Five days?
-Correct.
Is there anything else,
Mrs. Katiele?
I just wanted to say
I'm disgusted by this bureaucracy,
because in the meantime...
This deadline is for the answer,
not for approval.
Yes, it's just that
in this meantime, my daughter
has more than 50 seizures
because I don't know
where's the product she needs.
-Is there anything else?
-No, that'll be all.
Thanks for calling,
have a good night.
Good night.
Unfortunately,
bureaucracy is depressing.
Because, it makes you bounce
from one person to the next,
in the end, no one
gives you a straight answer,
No one! As much as I try
to make a way and call people,
I can't get a simple answer.
"How long".
That's all I wanted to know.
That's all.
It's been decades since
we last had new medication.
Decades.
Those who don't know about it
are against it.
Those who don't research
are against it.
From the bat.
"It comes from marijuana?
I am against it."
I wasn't afraid
people would say:
"Is he prescribing
forbidden medication?"
I didn't do it.
All I did was report
the experience
from using the medicine.
What it does is, it relieves
cases of epilepsy...
that can't be controlled
with other types of medication.
If we succeed, this will be
very important in the future.
And that's on you.
Why isn't it approved here?
Why isn't this easier?
They are either incompetent
and have no interest at all
or there are political
and financial forces
that have a great influence
on all this.
Since, legally, I can't
have something
that can benefit
my daughter so much,
I became a drug dealer.
For us, its a very
delicate fight,
because we are aware
this product
is something good,
that has good points,
we also know that
anything we say or do
will involve moral values.
Try to picture the suffering
of the mother or the family.
You see your child,
you know there is a medicine,
but then you find out
it's beyond your reach.
So you are not going
to do anything about it?
Even this is affected
by monetary interests?
Come on.
My enemy has no face,
I don't know who to fight,
who to appeal to,
or who to talk to.
I still believe I have the right
to do this for her.
Even though it's illegal.
"You give her medicine
that comes from Cannabis sativa?"
"Do you bring it here illegally?"
And I say "yes".
I do it because it's good for her,
it makes her life better,
and that is what matters
to me and my family.
A little girl who has a condition
that leads to multiple convulsions.
Only one drug works,
but it's forbidden in Brazil,
since it comes from marijuana.
If you were
one of her parents,
would you buy the drug
anyway?
A Brazilian couple
decided to do it,
and a documentary
tells their story.
Scenes from
the short movie "Illegal".
On January 15th,
somebody called me.
It was a guy named Tarso.
That was the first time
we talked to him.
He wanted information
on cannabidiol,
information on its use
and how we were doing it.
He wanted
to write a story on it.
His call made me
very happy,
because someone
had heard our plea.
Medical marijuana was
a very delicate subject.
It was something
no one would talk about
and few people
even knew about it,
and it's extremely important.
While I was getting ready
to write the story,
I found out about
Katiele and Anny.
On the week
of the interview
she'd had 3 seizures,
down from 60.
The results
were so incredible,
they would easily justify
any behavior
that would allow this medicine
to keep reaching that child.
However, she wasn't
allowed do it.
You feel angry.
I can't believe it!
This is...
...so backward.
She wasn't afraid
and she was ready to fight.
She was up for it.
After the story was published,
he contacted me
and offered to make a short movie.
We accepted right away,
and we said:
"Sure, Tarso!
That would be great!"
I got very nervous.
So when the staff
arrived,
they started to set up
all the equipment,
and we started to get
more and more excited.
So we shot
for two straight days.
The video was edited
and then released.
"CAMPAIGN SPREADS
THE BENEFITS OF MARIJUANA."
The impact was
instantaneous.
To inform,
to draw attention,
to make people aware,
to start a discussion
on the issue,
which, so far,
is considered a tabu.
I always thought it was weird
that this discussion,
that has been
happening in other countries,
took so long to get here.
Fantástico and Fátima Bernardes
came all the way over here,
as well as CBN
and several magazines.
All the papers wanted to know
about it publish and publish it.
This helped us a lot.
My heart is racing.
So come in, please.
Hello.
On Thursday, the movie
was released in São Paulo
On Sunday,
the story was aired.
On Monday, the lawyer
started to pursue court action.
"Court ruling allows girl to use
medicine derived marijuana."
I believe that
all this media exposure
and with all that has
been done, it will be easier.
The doors are open.
We just have to get in.
On April 3rd, 2014,
Anny Fischer became
the first person
legally allowed
to import a marijuana-based
product in Brazil.
Good morning, everyone.
Thanks for coming.
We are starting
another meeting
of the Parents Association for
People with Epilepsy, the APPEPI.
Most people didn't know
that cannabidiol could
control seizures.
The Fantástico piece
was a turning point
regarding social awareness
over the issue.
When I first read it,
I read it before I saw the movie.
I thought that mother
was just crazy.
I would never
give my son marijuana.
After I watched "Illegal",
the issue started to feel real.
It became something "humane".
He was diagnosed with
Dravet Syndrome.
It's terrifying for parents
to know that their child,
who's almost walking,
who's practically normal,
after two years,
won't develop anymore
and will have
severe cognitive delays,
and 60 per cent of Dravet
carriers die before turning six.
So we even
began to mourn.
There's a great demand from
children with refractory epilepsy,
who need this sort
of civil organization
in order for the legislature
to get involved,
and also for the judiciary
to get involved,
so maybe we can finally start
to produce it here
to help those mothers
that don't have
U$ 500,00 every month...
Everybody in my family
is associated with the army.
My husband is in the army,
I was in the army,
my father-in-law is in the army...
I have always been old-fashioned,
I've never even seen marijuana.
I have no idea
what it is.
And when I look at it, I currently
give my son three drugs,
I give him topiramate,
Depakene, and clobazam
to a child that is only
one year and three months old,
So why can't I give him CBD?
If there is a solution,
and CBD comes from marijuana,
fine, we will use marijuana.
if it was found in pineapples,
we would use pineapples.
But it isn't.
The strength those mothers
are showing is huge.
They don't care
if there's a law
that might put them in jail
from 5 to 15 years for traffic,
they will keep buying
a banned medication
that comes from marijuana
in order to treat their children.
It's a social demand, they want
to take care of their children
and they are showing the State
the path to be followed.
As a matter of fact,
they're doing politics.
On Thursday,
Katiele's injunction was issued.
On Friday, ANVISA
released a note
which said that nobody
had talked to them
and that importing the drug
was a possibility.
They didn't even know
which documents were required.
They just told me:
"Bring everything you have".
The fact that ANVISA
had authorized
the acquisition of the product for
children with refractory epilepsy,
along with the fact that
a prescription was required,
suggests that
the government
was also authorizing the doctor
to issue that prescription.
So it seemed that
we were allowed to prescribe it.
However, it wasn't that simple,
because we still don't have
an official position
regarding that.
I had an appointment
with the doctor on Thursday,
so I decided to wait
and talk to doctor Wagner,
who I didn't know,
and ask him for a prescription.
When I talked to him about CBD
and asked for his opinion,
he told me this was currently
the only option for Dravet.
If there's anything for Dravet
nowadays, it's CBD.
But he didn't want
to prescribe it.
He didn't want to put
this on paper.
ANVISA requires
the prescription.
And how will I do this
without a prescription?
I got the prescription
from a friend,
who is Gustavo's doctor
since he was born.
I didn't think twice.
I didn't even think.
I did it in accordance with
all the regulations.
What is the problem
of giving the prescription?
It's not any drug,
people are researching it,
it's medicine,
it´s for medical use.
It's a belief that is typical
of a doctor's education,
to believe that it's just harmful.
So, people are afraid.
If THC was the solution,
I would prescribe THC.
I'm not sure what I would do
if I was a doctor.
I'm a mother.
If a mother wants CBD,
she will get CBD.
For her, it seems absurd that
a doctor wouldn't prescribe it.
I think the pharmaceutical
industry is involved.
We can't imagine the role that
greed has in a capitalist world.
Because if CBD
succeeds,
people would stop buying
Depakene, Depakote,
phenobarbital, and hidantal,
am I right?
It's something
hard to investigate.
There's no way of knowing
the influence of the "Big Pharma"
in the whole situation.
But this is something
that clearly goes against
all the lobby imposed
by the Big Pharma.
It took me, Camila,
an educated woman,
a mother that loves her son,
living in Brasilia,
right next to ANVISA,
I took one month...
...to get enough CBD
for just three months.
And that's me, Camila,
and I live in Brasília.
But what about the people living
in Rio Grande do Sul's countryside?
What about those living
in Ceara's countryside?
What is she going
to do about it?
I'm totally for
the local production.
But I would like
the right seeds.
People say there are
people in Brazil producing them.
So if I could buy it,
if I could import
the right seeds,
and if I knew those seeds had
the right amount of CBD and THC,
I would do it.
Because I want to fight for it,
I have to do it.
He is my only son.
As a surgeon,
it seems that every surgery
adds a weight on my shoulders.
Patients show
no improvements.
Every week I do four or five
back surgeries.
That's what I do.
If the patient doesn't get better,
I also feel bad.
So I started to see cannabis
as an alternative.
As for the surgery screw,
morphine, or opioids,
I would also like to use cannabis
as a therapeutic option.
And I didn't.
I went to Amsterdam,
brought back some seeds,
and I started to research
how to do this.
So, one day I found Growroom
while surfing the web,
and I saw that the page
had a few tips on how it works.
I began to search how to grow it
and realized it was feasible.
Then I decided I would do it.
Ever since Growroom came about,
if you do a quick search,
you'll see that the first article
on medical marijuana
is probably dated from 2002,
the year the page was created.
Most of the visitors
are people looking for treatment,
people who go seek,
in Growroom, information
about their diseases
and treatments with marijuana.
My best results
were observed in patients
with fribromyaldia, at first.
This was a turning point
in my life, in terms of Cannabis.
I was doing something
and it was working.
It's a long-term investment,
both of money and time,
because it's free,
there's no financial feedback,
It's a life project, I think.
If you have tried everything
and nothing has worked,
you'll keep taking medicine
that bring some relief.
At the same time, we'll start
this treatment.
"Are you up for it?",
and everyone says "yes".
Everyone.
I just bring up the subject,
I just offer it to the patient
when I've know the person
for a long time, years.
It's not months, it takes me
years to offer this to patients.
Margarete and I
are very close,
but besides her,
nobody knows about it.
Actually, Sofie is the only child
I know using it, no one else.
I use a species that contains
only CBD, the Harle-Tsu.
If a doctor, in Brazil, prescribes
any marijuana-based medicine,
or marijuana itself,
he will have his
registry suspended,
and will be investigated
for this.
The Regional Council of Medicine,
in São Paulo, stipulated it in 2010
and hasn't altered it
ever since.
Due to this, the doctors
in Brazil cannot prescribe it,
but they are free to say
whatever they want.
If I lose my registration,
I can't pay my bills.
Unlike other professionals,
we rely on a Council
that will grant us
permission to work.
We're celebrating
Anny's birthday today.
It's her first birthday after
we were granted the right
to legally import CBD.
I would like authorities in Brazil
to carry out
a careful study about it,
along with
qualified professionals,
doctor and scientists,
for instance,
and the politicians themselves
got involved,
not only for Anny,
but for children all over
the country and even the world.
We got scared, at first,
because we had no idea
it was possible to make
medicine from marijuana.
And if they use it
responsibly,
we have to support it and make it
accessible not just for Anny,
but for others. So, they
may have this possibility.
I'll sing from the heart
So listen very carefully
I thank you very much
And I say it sincerely
You came this far
To be around us
To bring us a bit of joy
And make things a little better
Anny, you just couldn't
be any different.
You couldn't be someone else.
You're simply our Anny.
A girl who teaches us every day
that nothing happens by chance.
A six-year old girl
who is able to change lives.
And to change the history
of a country as big as Brazil.
Here we go.
My tummy hurts.
The website...
...Te delivery date has vanished
from the FedEx website.
It was Thursday, but now
it says "n/a", not available.
-What does that mean?
-Good question.
It seems there's no
delivery date.
So let's check
if it has arrived at the airport.
"ANVISA."
That's what I'm saying,
it's that way.
See? "ANVISA".
"ANVISA", it's this way.
Hello...?
-Is there any good news?
-Yes, not that bad.
-Come on in.
-Excuse us.
-There's always something, right?
-What do you mean by "not so bad".
Actually,
there was problem.
Because the package said
"ANVISA",
they had to confirm it again
on their system
in order for it
to be updated.
But they told me that
it would arrive within 24h.
So it was FedEx fault?
Yes, at first,
but it was solved.
-So it was it was the IRS?
-No, no.
-It's wrong.
-I know, just wait a minute.
Let's take it slow.
It didn't arrive here.
There was a small problem.
-Why do we require the IL?
-The Importing License...
Yes, every medicine
must have a number.
This way, we know
the recipient's name
so we can prevent
a trading business to set in.
So, with IL, will it
arrive in airports to?
Yes, it will arrive in airports.
What about cities that do not
have an airport, Ricardo?
The question is not
the airport itself,
the problem is if there's not
an IRS office there,
and the office
is located in the airport.
We're speaking the same language,
but I still don't get the IL thing.
What happen is that
this was a court decision,
so we had to comply
with it and approve.
-So it was a matter of...
-You had to approve it?
We had to approve it,
and we did all it was necessary.
-Let's hope it arrives, then.
-But it already has!
Well, it just didn't get
to the proper place!
-It was inspected...
-We've got to have faith.
It's very simple,
there won't be any problem.
The issue is that this substance
is not just controlled,
it's forbidden here.
So it shouldn’t have gotten in.
-We'll come back tomorrow, then.
-No, I'll call you.
Thanks, Ricardo,
see you.
What's more important?
A system for tracking down
the products that arrive here
or a child's life?
MARIJUANA MARCH, 2014
SÃO PAULO
MARIJUANA MARCH, 2014
RIO DE JANEIRO
We have to stop being
so hypocritical, we have to evolve!
The Marijuana March is the greatest
expression
of our fight
NO MORE HYPOCRISY
against this
absurd prohibition...
"BRING AN END
TO YOUR PREJUDICE."
"CANNABIS MAY SAVE LIVES."
We have to end
this nonsense war...
"CAN I GROW IT?"
We have invited here
a few mothers whose children
have refractory epilepsy,
and who cannot treat them
through conventional means
and have decided
to treat them with marijuana.
So let's welcome them
and make them feel comfortable,
because they are fighting
for their children's rights.
Thank you all.
"CANNABIS MAY SAVE LIVES.
THINK ABOUT IT."
"REFRACTORY EPILEPSY
NEEDS CBD NOW."
We feel that things
are finally getting started,
they're not "virtual" anymore,
they're real now.
I
t's a great support...
...A great psychological help
to know that
you are not alone.
I think those mothers
whose children need
products that derive from cannabis
in order to get treatment
have joined the activists
that are fighting for their rights.
And that's a very important
convergence.
I've noticed the relation between
cannabis and multiple sclerosis.
I cannot be outside the law
anymore,
while using
low-quality products.
I know things are slow,
but, for me, it's horrible to wait.
It's amazing the ignorance that
some doctors and scientists show
regarding the biological process
associated with marijuana
and our body's reaction to it.
I don't think it's controversial for
people to seek health or well being.
It's unbelievable that someone
finds this controversial.
I hope people start to realize
that we are serious.
Life does not wait.
At first, we started
to research cannabidiol.
We got better informed
about it.
Soon we met some people
who smoked it.
People who would benefit
from its use and relied on it.
The question was not
Anny's supply anymore.
It was the use of
medical marijuana
in the treatment for
many other diseases
and no one wants
to talk about it.
THC is very important
for those who are on chemo,
for those who suffer
from chronic pains...
There's a whole list
of diseases
that could be treated
with medical marijuana.
THC is a compound
found in marijuana
that has psychoactive effects.
It's responsible for other
medical properties of the plant.
What should I do?
Let's see.
"Try coloring number six."
You already did,
it's great. It's a rainbow.
You have ballet class today.
We find it incredible
that she can walk,
go to university,
take care of two children.
She sustained
a serious back injury.
She went through
two surgeries
to try to fix
her vertebrae
and straighten
her bone marrow.
They tried,
but they didn't succeed.
What happens is that
her nerve roots
are being crushed.
I've tried
every sorts of medication:
anti-epileptic,
anticonvulsants,
some heavy medication,
even morphine,
which I used to consume a lot.
I would use so much morphine,
baclofen, and other sorts
of strong medication,
that I decided to get
a morphine pump
that would be connected
directly to my brain.
I can't find
any similar cases,
but I kept looking for
something that could help me.
Soon I found out about the use
of marijuana for neurological pain.
I started using it and
the spasms decreased, stopped.
Feeling pain became normal.
When I don't feel any pain,
it's what I need.
Marijuana is the only thing
that really helps me.
It's the only drug
that actually does it.
When I went to
extract my morphine pump,
I realized it was
something so unusual,
that the procedure wasn't even
listed on the health plan.
There was the insertion,
but not the extraction.
Because once you're addicted,
it's over.
Ovarian cancer
is one of the most aggressive ones
Only 30 per cent
of people survive.
Thank God I was
one of them.
Hello.
I was eight months pregnant
when I started to feel
severe pains around the ovaries.
I went through a Cesarian.
My daughter’s lung
was malformed,
so she was taken to the ER
right away.
Meanwhile I went through
a hysterectomy and went home.
So, a week later,
I started doing chemo.
It was one of the
worst moments of my life,
I felt like a truck
had ran me over.
I could barely open my eyes,
from all the pain I was
feeling all around my body.
I wasn't hungry,
I didn’t want to eat anything,
I would force myself to eat
fruits, juice,
and other liquids, which,
basically, I could digest
without feeling nauseous.
The person starts to lose weight
and gets thinner and thinner.
She couldn't even take water,
which was her only "food".
The pain and the sickness
were terrible,
but the psychological aspect
was even worse.
I was always afraid of dying
and losing my daughter.
She became so depressed,
that she said "my newborn daughter
is here, but I can't do anything".
She barely had enough strength
to get out of bed.
We started to search
for something
that had any effect
or improved chemo.
Nothing the doctor prescribed
actually worked.
It was a surprise,
I had no idea
that marijuana could diminish
the chemo's symptoms.
I started to eat normally,
I was hungry again.
The fear I had, vanished,
and I was normal.
I had friends over again,
I started to laugh,
I would laugh
while telling the story.
For the first time she could
get our daughter in her arms.
She could finally enjoy
being a mother.
People don't understand
that I smoke to kill the pain.
I'm tired of smoking marijuana
locked in the bathroom
because of the neighbours,
because of the smell,
because of prejudice.
There were some neighbours that
stopped talking to me
and even with my daughters
due to this.
I want to go to places,
I want to be a part of society
without people staring at me
because I smoke marijuana.
We started to research
and we saw that some web pages
that sold the seeds
would say what type
was the best one
for what disease.
So we gave it a shot.
The desire of growing it
was bigger than the fear.
It was bigger than the fear
Os the neighbours or the police.
It was 07:30 AM when
I came downstairs
and I saw this woman
get out of a car.
After she confirmed my identity,
she told me she was a bailiff.
I was charged with
international drug trafficking.
I didn't have the right to bail
or habeas corpus, anything.
It's considered a heinous crime.
After we went through everything,
after my daughter and I
had survived...
He was charged
with international trafficking.
We couldn't believe that.
National Congress
Brasília
These mothers have contacted
this Human Rights Commission
so they could talk with its members
and ask for their support,
since tomorrow
they will talk to ANVISA.
Now I will give the floor
to one of these mothers.
Come here, Katiele. Come on,
both of you, have a seat.
I'll give the floor
to Margarete,
who will talk about
her experiences and motivations.
I'm a mother and I represent
a group of other mothers
who use medical cannabis.
We would like to ask
for the support of this Commission,
because this is a subject
that's surrounded by prejudice.
We're here to say that
there is evidence
and marijuana is neither an evil
or a miraculous herb,
it's a herb that has
certain medical properties.
So we would like to ask you
to consider the issue
without any prejudice.
That's all.
Thank you,
Margarete and Katiele.
-Congratulations for your bravery.
-Thank you.
-...of cannabis.
-Medical.
Just medical.
We are talking only about medical...
We need someone who can
approach the issue of research.
-Who does that?
-The big manufacturers.
The big manufacturers.
My idea, which I will give
to Jean Wyllys and Paulo Teixeira,
is separate the discussions.
We have to discuss
the issues separately.
-Have you told Jean Wyllys?
-Not yet, but I will today.
This is what
I wanted to hear.
Most people still have
quite a bit of prejudice,
and the MPs just want
to keep their jobs.
They want to be reelected.
Why have I decided to start
this project this year?
Because it's election year.
Everybody would talk about it,
the press, the people,
the whole country.
I talked to the president,
and he told me:
"But this is a very tricky matter,
why should we start a fight?"
And I told him
about the medical properties.
"But the project cover
more than that."
"It's very vague. You see
what Jean Wyllys has done?"
He said it as if
pointing out a huge mistake.
So if we focus
on the medical aspects
we're likely to get 80 to 80
per cent of approval
among all the MPs,
even the evangelicals.
I won't lie to you,
I'm not a self-seeking.
I won't tell you
what you want to hear,
even though someone else
may already have.
No, I just want the truth.
I'll be honest,
I'll not try to fool you.
I cannot say that everyone here
has the same opinion.
-It's not true.
-I wanted to talk about that.
It's not true.
ANVISA has approved
the import Gustavo's medication.
Have a look.
Hey! Can you turn down
the air-conditioner, please?
Quite a few of my MP friends
told me
that if we focus on the medical
aspects, they would support it,
but not if the discussion
was on general terms.
This Congress is prejudiced
against some things,
just like society.
Because society doesn't want
to open its eyes.
And neither do they,
but we're getting there.
It's hard work,
that requires awareness.
As for the legalization and
regulation of marijuana,
I intend to focus on
the number of deaths,
the number of homicides
caused by the war on drugs.
I'm fighting against
discrimination
of the poor population
all over the country.
The issue of marijuana
is very important for that,
so I decided that I would
fight all those wrong notions
and try to solve them.
But I'm sure that today
Cristóvão will approve it.
-He won't be here today.
-He won't?
He's traveling.
What a shame!
Then I'll keep going anyway.
It was good, right?
It was very good!
That was what I wanted.
I think now we did it.
We have to realize that
these causes walk hand in hand.
That is, to ensure
the medical use,
first we have to legalize it.
I know I'll be selfish right now,
but my focus, as a mother,
is right here, right now.
I want it now.
You see, when I checked my phone,
my daughter was at the hospital.
I thought: "Fuck me!"
Edit this out!
If I were you,
I would probably feel the same.
"Jean Wyllys wants
to legalize it".
I know you want to discuss it all,
and I'm all for it,
but let's focus on this first,
I need this fast.
I can't separate the discussions,
we have to talk about
the whole subject.
Our issue is with ANVISA.
That's right, it's not here.
4th International Symposium
on Medical Cannabis
São Paulo
My main cause is research.
We take to the streets,
we will make noise,
we will do whatever
is necessary,
because my dream is to control
my daughter's seizures.
Here's the clinical study
they want so much.
Do something!
Don't accept
when someone tells you:
"You see, there's nothing
you could do about it."
"There's nothing you could do."
Do you know how devastating that is?
So don't accept it,
go ahead, fight for it!
Now it's up to one
of the directors of ANVISA
the removal of cannabidiol
from the list of substances
that are currently forbidden
here in Brazil.
Should the doctor have any doubts,
he can clarify it with the Council.
It was a phone call, Katiele called
and explained her situation,
that she had to smuggle the drug
to treat her daughter.
It was something
that really got to me.
I even got a little shaken
from seeing her here.
It seems to me that what
science couldn't accomplish,
a mother could.
As they demand a solution
for their problem,
they're doing politics,
and that kind of attitude
is starting to have an effect
by changing a regulation,
that the country has been
denying to change for many years.
To what extent
does this sort of classification
hurt democracy?
Because we do not have
the right to discuss
how this plant
is being classified.
The vice-president of
the Federal Council of Medicine
claimed that they would
never allow a Brazilian doctor
to prescribe any kind
of marijuana product.
We have to abolish prejudice,
we're losing a lot of time.
What I want to talk about now
is biological medicine.
The thing is that we were forced
to approve registrations
of molecules whose phase 3 trial
was concluded just two months ago.
They are too recent,
their future is unknown.
We have to register them, though.
But not cannabidiol.
And why is that?
Because the industry wants
to approve them quickly.
A treatment that costs over
R$ 100 thousand a month is great.
And the government
pays for it...
Yes, exactly.
However, cannabidiol
is much cheaper, it has no patent.
Who would want it?
These are the rules
of their game.
Not our rules,
let me be clear.
I'm saying it
so you don't get mad.
-Yes, I know.
-She has a very short fuse.
And there's one just like me,
Camila, from Brasília.
There are many others.
Maybe there is knowledge,
but there is no discussion,
because there's no way of putting it
into practice in a clinic.
To discuss in theoretical terms
is not common for us.
When I was a kid, people would say:
"That kid is a pothead!"
This sort of things start,
in people's and doctor's mind,
since he was raised
by this culture in Brazil,
the fear of a drug that,
essentially, will harm you.
I think now
we have to evolve even more.
We have to hope for the best.
The president of ANVISA
said that the liberation
of the compounds of the tree
for therapy, will be studied
by the end of this month.
It's important to demystify.
MEETING OF ANVISA'S BOARD
OF DIRECTORS - MAY 29TH, 2014.
This is the result of a journey
that started last October
and which has brought us
many difficulties, right?
Many fears.
Today is the day
we take the first step.
I think there's still
a lot to fight for.
What I want today is
to eliminate the bureaucracy.
If we do it, we'll be
halfway there.
And even if it gets
to the C1 list,
the doctors still have
prejudice and lack of knowledge.
to give a prescription.
It's useless putting it on C1
without the prescriptions.
And the main excuse is the fact
that it's a forbidden substance,
They don't want to prescribe
something illegal.
As of today
it won't be anymore.
What we're discussing here
is the feasibility
and the relevance of transferring
one of the compounds
found in the species
Cannabis sativa
to a list of controlled
substances
and what are the consequences
of such procedure.
Everything that represents
a risk, might cause harm.
Our mission is to protect
people from those harms,
because they will be exposed
to the risks.
Cannabidiol is one
of the substances of cannabis
and has been subjected
a technical study.
The classification of cannabidiol
to the C1 list would not indicate
that other substances would
also be classified as such,
let alone receive
the same treatment,
especially the THC.
If a product leaves the US
and comes to Brazil,
we would have THC coming too.
And the International Treaty
does not consider
if it is for medical purposes
or not.
The situation
I have just exposed
makes it very intricate
for the direction board
to consider the subject
that is being discussed.
What I am realizing now
is that simply transferring
cannabidiol
from one list to another
will be pointless regarding
people's needs.
A group of doctors
still feel a little unsure
about giving this sort
of prescription.
It's true that a decision
like this would show society
that it is possible to obtain
substances from alternative means.
But if ANVISA approves it,
that would suggest people
that things are quite easy
and that everything is solved now,
and it's not.
-Is it over?
-It was adjourned.
I want to talk to you.
Am I not allowed
to talk to you?
As mother,
I have this right.
How can you say that
it's not worth it?
The thing is, you should look for
our complaints department...
But they will simply
listen to me,
and I want you
to talk to them for me.
The number doesn't work!
There's no demand because
we can't get you to listen!
I'm ashamed
of being Brazilian.
What you said about
the lack of demand is not true!
No, I said there was
four requests in 2014...
The number doesn't work!
Wait, wait.
If I were to ask you for
an exception, ANVISA requires...
ANVISA requires
the prescription of a doctor
in order for me
to ask for an exception.
Where am I going to find
a doctor brave enough
to put his own registration
at risk
for prescribing a substance
that is officially forbidden?
That's the question.
I can't understand
what was decided there
or why they are not going
to move it from the C3 list.
It's absurd!
Nobody can get a prescription
for a prohibited substance.
That's what they should explain,
because he said there's no demand,
but there are many mothers who
are using a prohibited substance
because they bring it illegally.
And that number will go up!
Everyday there will be
more and more people doing it
and giving that to their children
without medical advice
because of that ridiculous speech
we heard there.
I receive hundreds of messages
every week
and Margarete
also receive hundreds.
The mothers
can't get the prescription
because it's
a prohibited substance.
Of course!
It's a vicious circle.
So nobody can say
that there's no demand.
What I would like
to say to ANVISA
is that the amount of time it takes
to carry out a clinical trial
is much bigger
than that of a mother
whose child is having a seizure
at a hospital bed.
And I think that if their children
had 80 seizures every week,
if they had to consume
CBD illegally,
and if their children
benefited from that,
I'm sure that the clinical trial
would be much faster.
ANVISA's board of directors
didn't remove cannabidiol
from the list
of prohibited substances.
Camila couldn't stay
until the end of the discussions.
During the meeting,
her son had a very serious seizure.
He died 48 hours later.
I don't blame ANVISA
for the death of my son.
But I deserved a faster solution,
as well as every mother.
As far as I know, even after
this, bureaucracy is still there.
Can't you see
that our cause is urgent?
They're putting lives on hold
for political interests.
It's ridiculous!
It's absurd and unacceptable!
What we have is a group of mothers
trying to save their children.
But there's also
the apathetic government,
ANVISA, which doesn't do anything,
doctors, who don't prescribe,
the Medicine Council,
that still hasn't taken a stand...
These mothers are
all around, completely lost.
They don't have time to wait.
They can't ask their children
to stand some more seizures
because ANVISA is deciding
what to do.
I think we have
to count on ourselves,
because the truth is that
we can't rely on the State.
It's my pain.
I'm the one who's sick
and can't have a normal life.
Why should the State tell me
what's good for my pain?
The government
only cares about itself.
If reality doesn't get to them,
they won't look for it.
The fact that people
are creating pressure groups
to inquire the authorities,
that makes things much faster.
They don't want power, they
don't have a government plan,
they just want to change
one aspect of reality,
and the Brazilian State
won't allow it.
Everything that has changed
was confronted once.
And if we don't do it,
nothing will ever change.
Anny!
Let's take the medicine?
Let's take the medicine?
You're going to help daddy,
right?
Today she talks to us,
she is more present.
Who’s my little princess?
Who?
Her life changed a lot,
and so did ours.
Happiness has returned
to our home.
Today she laughs,
it's amazing.
She quickly turned her head
when I made a noise.
These are our impressions now,
this is our vocabulary.
Now she can clearly show
when she's happy or not.
It's really incredible that she
is able to do all this.
It's worth trying
anything that might help,
anything that might bring
some relief to this people,
their families,
their children...
Only people who live through it
know how hard it is.
So every time I receive
a message from someone
saying that they were able
to buy it, somehow,
either through traffic
or an authorization from ANVISA,
telling us that their children
have gotten better,
that there are
fewer seizures now,
that they are smiling again,
that they're starting to walk...
Because we know that no matter
what a child might accomplish,
that will always be
a moment of joy.
I think it's a long way,
that requires a lot of persistence.
From everyone.
You can't just give up.
I have the right for
a less bureaucratic country
and an administration
that is less stupid. It's my right.
We want this to be fast,
because our clock goes faster
than that of politics.
So we want it to be quick.
But it's already a fact:
There's no coming back.
I would like to see people
choosing their own treatment.
That's what I hope
for the future.
Thaís' cancer hasn't come back.
Jairo is waiting to be trialed
for International
Drug Trafficking.
Juliana became the first Brazilian
to be legally allowed
to import nabixinols, an extract
from marijuana that contains THC.
Camila accepted
to take part in this movie
even after the death
of her son, Gustavo.
He was the first person
to legally import cannabidiol,
without having to appeal
to the Judiciary.
Margarete formalized APPEPI
and became an important activist
on the battle for the regulation
of medical marijuana.
It has been five months
since Anny's last seizure.
In the semester
that followed her injunction,
ANVISA issued 74 authorizations
allowing her to import cannabidiol.
This movie is dedicated
to Gustavo Guedes
and everyone
fighting for their rights.
the Brazilian National Health
Surveillance Agency.
Good afternoon, Aline speaking.
Who am I speaking with?
Good afternoon, Aline.
My name is Katiele.
ILLEGAL
I've ordered something
from the US, but it hasn't arrived.
Instead, I've received
a telegram.
It asks for the product's name
and manufacturer.
Also, it requires
a statement containing the use
and the purpose
of the product I'm importing.
It says that the statement
must contain
all the required information.
But actually, they're not
requiring any information.
What kind of product is it?
It's a dietary supplement.
If it's not a restricted product
or anything that requires
a prescription...
It's a controlled product.
So a doctor or anyone
enabled to prescribe it
will have to certify
that you need it.
Yes, I already have
a statement.
I'll read it to you, OK?
"Anny Bortoli, 5 years old",
this is my daughter.
"She has a very rare disorder."
"She displays
a psycho-motor disorder"
"as a result
of a brain disease."
"Among the symptoms
she has seizures."
"It's resistant to every treatment
available in the country."
"I hereby justify
the request for cannabidiol"
"based on what was said above",
which is her current situation.
When we found out about the CBD
and decided to import it,
we knew it came from
Cannabis sativa,
and for this reason,
it was illegal in the country.
But the agony of seeing my daughter
having seizures every day
was so big
that we decided to face it
and bring the medication
no matter how,
even if we had
traffic it.
And that's what we did.
That's the word: trafficking.
Anny was planned.
We planned on having her
since the first one was born.
So, when she was born,
we were very happy,
but I knew there was
something about her eyes.
Then, in typical
mother-and-daughter moment,
when you are staring
at your little baby,
when you can
smell their scent...
I was holding her
when she had
her first seizure.
It was a mixture
of fear and astonishment,
because that should not
be happening to me.
To my daughter.
To my family.
It didn't seem real,
you know?
She didn't move
she didn't smile...
She looked like a little doll...
...quiet, static.
When she was three,
she was able to walk.
She could actually stand up
and take confident steps.
That was a very important moment,
because, at the age of three,
she could finally walk.
The whole thing was
a moment of joy.
But right after that...
...she began to have
more aggressive seizures,
and due to the syndrome
and the attacks,
she started to lose
her abilities.
And after four months,
she had already forgotten
everything she had accomplished
over three years.
I think it was one of the saddest
moments of our lives.
But despite the sadness,
we never lost hope...
...that one day she would
be able to recover her abilities.
And it was precisely
this feeling of hope
that made us search
all over the world
for something
that could really help her.
And what we found was CBD.
Cannabidiol is a compound
that is found in Cannabis sativa,
the marijuana tree.
It doesn't have any psychoactive
effects and it's responsible
for some of the species'
medicinal properties.
When she was 35 days old,
she started having seizures.
And that's when
our fight began.
It was the acceptance phase,
I would cry a lot,
I would go to class crying
and I would come back crying.
I would think:
"I have a special daughter".
It was a mission,
and I knew it.
When she was born, I thought:
"She is perfect".
But after a month,
she had a seizure,
and we didn't think
it was something serious.
So you start to look
for a solution.
You start to go
to spiritual centers
and try every option
there is to try.
It took us two and a half years
to diagnose it.
The doctors used to say:
"It could be this or that".
"You have to take her abroad."
I have always dealt with
her situation better than him.
He suffers quite a bit more
than I do.
One night, he suddenly
woke me up and said:
"You know, there is a girl
that has been using"
"a medicine
made from marijuana,"
"and she has achieved
great results."
"It seems that, within 15 days,
the seizures have stopped."
He was so excited,
and I was still sleeping.
We had already tried
all kinds of medication.
Nothing worked,
and we were feeling depressed.
Suddenly, you find
someone in the same situation,
who found a new drug
that has been working.
I looked at it and saw
that it was working.
The whole cannabis
and CBD thing,
I had no idea that
people could use
one of the compounds of the tree
to produce medicine.
I never had any prejudice
towards marijuana,
so, for me, it didn't seem
so complicated
as it would seem to other people.
It was a relief to know
that in the US there was
this little girl
who had been using it
and the medicine
was actually working.
Then, you start to think:
"If anyone wants to sue me,
go ahead."
Katiele is much like me.
She laughed right away
and took it with humor.
She started
to follow my instructions.
I didn't quite know
it worked over there,
but when I told her the news,
I sounded like an insane person.
"Hey, people are giving marijuana
to this little girl and it's working,"
"do you want to try it
as well?"
What we were told
when we were children, is that
this is a drug, so you have to
keep away from it,
it's evil.
This was the impression I had.
After trying everything
and nothing worked,
the possibility that
this could help
puts and end
to any sort of prejudice.
Even if it's something bad,
in theory.
In the beginning,
I didn't believe in it,
but the actual
consequence,
the results from using it
were excellent.
We were given
a contact in the US.
This contact
would make the purchase,
receive the product,
hide it in a box,
and send it to Brazil.
We would receive it at home,
through the mail.
As soon as we realized
it was working,
we started to look for a way
to buy it again.
This time, the package
disappeared.
It was held.
The customs sent it
to ANVISA,
which soon after,
sent us a telegram.
You have reached ANVISA,
the Brazilian National Health
Surveillance Agency.
Good afternoon, Camila speaking.
Who am I speaking with?
Good afternoon, Camila,
my name is Katiele.
Look, Camila,
here's the thing.
I have imported a product
and I received a telegram...
I need to speak with someone
from ANVISA who may help me.
I'll be honest with you:
I don't know where this product is.
I don't have much time,
I need this product.
I won’t read
the regulation again
and won't
contact you again either.
It doesn't make sense.
I ask you for an explanation
and you tell me to read
the regulation I don't understand,
and then you tell me
to call you back.
It's easier if we
cut all this bureaucracy:
I'm already talking to you
and I don't know the regulation.
So put me in touch
with someone who can tell me
what I can do to buy
the product I need.
Ma'am, all this information
was already given to you.
This is how we proceed.
Will I have to go through this
every time I import?
Will my daughter have to stay
at home convulsing?
She'll keep having
60 seizures every week?
I don't know
if you did the math,
but it adds up to
one seizure every two hours.
How much will I have to wait
to have this product
after answering
the telegram?
That's why we're telling you
to contact the post office,
because the product
is being held there.
OK.
So you're telling me
you can't help me
and I'll have to go
to the post office?
To the post office, yes.
Can I help you with
anything else?
I think so,
but you're telling me different.
Alright, then.
Thanks anyway.
It's alright.
Its alright.
That's it, it's OK.
A seizure is
something that...
When you see it
for the first time,
it seems the person
is about to die.
So, for a mother,
it's like seeing their child
dying every time.
Regarding epilepsy cases
that are more aggressive,
you will often see the child's
development being affected.
I always go this way.
Both, child and mother,
are traumatized
from constant visits
to hospitals or ERs.
At this moment, the family
takes the responsibility for this.
I understand very well,
because
you try to put yourself
on their shoes.
And the mother is forced
to take a leap in the dark.
This worries me,
because medical attention
is essential.
We get very concerned,
because while the doctors
want to help us,
there's also
the lack of research.
So we try to work together,
right, doctor?
As professionals,
we get a little insecure
when facing the possibility
of receiving some penalty
or even having
our credentials suspended,
in the worst case scenario.
So we have to fight
for our right to research.
I believe the mothers
and their children have the right
to have more researches being
carried out about cannabidiol.
In 2013, we were
very worried
that we were not able
to tell the doctor
the amount of seizures
she used to have.
We would show him the numbers,
but I believe
the numbers couldn't
really represent it.
So we developed a graphic
that showed
the distribution of attacks
over the days
and a weekly and monthly
perception.
For instance,
the numbers from October
show the amount
Os attacks she was having.
And the numbers
were quite large.
In November, the number of seizures
were also pretty high,
until 11/11, when we gave her
the first doses of cannabidiol.
It took a while
to have any effect,
but we could see
the graphic began to clear up.
By the end of November,
the number of seizures
had already decreased.
From 60 to 19.
After that, in December,
Anny had a few infections,
she got sick,
but even so, the number
of seizures decreased.
By January, we could really
feel the difference.
Because by the second
week of the month,
the attacks had practically
stopped.
So even with the infections
and the sore throat,
she didn't have seizures
anymore.
But in February,
we ran out of medicine
and the amount of seizures
increased again.
A sense of hopelessness, right?
Good afternoon.
Welcome to the post office
call center.
This line is exclusive for
compliments, suggestions,
and complaints.
All our operators
are busy at the moment.
Please, hold on the line.
TELEGRAM
All the operators
are still busy.
Please, hold a little longer.
Michele speaking,
who am I speaking with?
Good afternoon, Michele,
my name is Katiele.
Good afternoon, Katiele,
how can I help you?
How much is the product,
Mrs. Katiele?
-One hundred dollars.
-One hundred?
You were asked
to give all this information?
Yes.
ANVISA has approved it and put it
under special evaluation.
The army
or institutions like that.
-Is it a dietary supplement?
-Yes, it is.
It's a supplement that...
...controls
my daughter's seizures.
I see.
Can you see why it's urgent?
Yes.
Maybe you can ask for help
at an authorized agency
associated with ANVISA.
How much time will I have
to wait for an answer?
Initially, five days.
-Five days?
-Correct.
Is there anything else,
Mrs. Katiele?
I just wanted to say
I'm disgusted by this bureaucracy,
because in the meantime...
This deadline is for the answer,
not for approval.
Yes, it's just that
in this meantime, my daughter
has more than 50 seizures
because I don't know
where's the product she needs.
-Is there anything else?
-No, that'll be all.
Thanks for calling,
have a good night.
Good night.
Unfortunately,
bureaucracy is depressing.
Because, it makes you bounce
from one person to the next,
in the end, no one
gives you a straight answer,
No one! As much as I try
to make a way and call people,
I can't get a simple answer.
"How long".
That's all I wanted to know.
That's all.
It's been decades since
we last had new medication.
Decades.
Those who don't know about it
are against it.
Those who don't research
are against it.
From the bat.
"It comes from marijuana?
I am against it."
I wasn't afraid
people would say:
"Is he prescribing
forbidden medication?"
I didn't do it.
All I did was report
the experience
from using the medicine.
What it does is, it relieves
cases of epilepsy...
that can't be controlled
with other types of medication.
If we succeed, this will be
very important in the future.
And that's on you.
Why isn't it approved here?
Why isn't this easier?
They are either incompetent
and have no interest at all
or there are political
and financial forces
that have a great influence
on all this.
Since, legally, I can't
have something
that can benefit
my daughter so much,
I became a drug dealer.
For us, its a very
delicate fight,
because we are aware
this product
is something good,
that has good points,
we also know that
anything we say or do
will involve moral values.
Try to picture the suffering
of the mother or the family.
You see your child,
you know there is a medicine,
but then you find out
it's beyond your reach.
So you are not going
to do anything about it?
Even this is affected
by monetary interests?
Come on.
My enemy has no face,
I don't know who to fight,
who to appeal to,
or who to talk to.
I still believe I have the right
to do this for her.
Even though it's illegal.
"You give her medicine
that comes from Cannabis sativa?"
"Do you bring it here illegally?"
And I say "yes".
I do it because it's good for her,
it makes her life better,
and that is what matters
to me and my family.
A little girl who has a condition
that leads to multiple convulsions.
Only one drug works,
but it's forbidden in Brazil,
since it comes from marijuana.
If you were
one of her parents,
would you buy the drug
anyway?
A Brazilian couple
decided to do it,
and a documentary
tells their story.
Scenes from
the short movie "Illegal".
On January 15th,
somebody called me.
It was a guy named Tarso.
That was the first time
we talked to him.
He wanted information
on cannabidiol,
information on its use
and how we were doing it.
He wanted
to write a story on it.
His call made me
very happy,
because someone
had heard our plea.
Medical marijuana was
a very delicate subject.
It was something
no one would talk about
and few people
even knew about it,
and it's extremely important.
While I was getting ready
to write the story,
I found out about
Katiele and Anny.
On the week
of the interview
she'd had 3 seizures,
down from 60.
The results
were so incredible,
they would easily justify
any behavior
that would allow this medicine
to keep reaching that child.
However, she wasn't
allowed do it.
You feel angry.
I can't believe it!
This is...
...so backward.
She wasn't afraid
and she was ready to fight.
She was up for it.
After the story was published,
he contacted me
and offered to make a short movie.
We accepted right away,
and we said:
"Sure, Tarso!
That would be great!"
I got very nervous.
So when the staff
arrived,
they started to set up
all the equipment,
and we started to get
more and more excited.
So we shot
for two straight days.
The video was edited
and then released.
"CAMPAIGN SPREADS
THE BENEFITS OF MARIJUANA."
The impact was
instantaneous.
To inform,
to draw attention,
to make people aware,
to start a discussion
on the issue,
which, so far,
is considered a tabu.
I always thought it was weird
that this discussion,
that has been
happening in other countries,
took so long to get here.
Fantástico and Fátima Bernardes
came all the way over here,
as well as CBN
and several magazines.
All the papers wanted to know
about it publish and publish it.
This helped us a lot.
My heart is racing.
So come in, please.
Hello.
On Thursday, the movie
was released in São Paulo
On Sunday,
the story was aired.
On Monday, the lawyer
started to pursue court action.
"Court ruling allows girl to use
medicine derived marijuana."
I believe that
all this media exposure
and with all that has
been done, it will be easier.
The doors are open.
We just have to get in.
On April 3rd, 2014,
Anny Fischer became
the first person
legally allowed
to import a marijuana-based
product in Brazil.
Good morning, everyone.
Thanks for coming.
We are starting
another meeting
of the Parents Association for
People with Epilepsy, the APPEPI.
Most people didn't know
that cannabidiol could
control seizures.
The Fantástico piece
was a turning point
regarding social awareness
over the issue.
When I first read it,
I read it before I saw the movie.
I thought that mother
was just crazy.
I would never
give my son marijuana.
After I watched "Illegal",
the issue started to feel real.
It became something "humane".
He was diagnosed with
Dravet Syndrome.
It's terrifying for parents
to know that their child,
who's almost walking,
who's practically normal,
after two years,
won't develop anymore
and will have
severe cognitive delays,
and 60 per cent of Dravet
carriers die before turning six.
So we even
began to mourn.
There's a great demand from
children with refractory epilepsy,
who need this sort
of civil organization
in order for the legislature
to get involved,
and also for the judiciary
to get involved,
so maybe we can finally start
to produce it here
to help those mothers
that don't have
U$ 500,00 every month...
Everybody in my family
is associated with the army.
My husband is in the army,
I was in the army,
my father-in-law is in the army...
I have always been old-fashioned,
I've never even seen marijuana.
I have no idea
what it is.
And when I look at it, I currently
give my son three drugs,
I give him topiramate,
Depakene, and clobazam
to a child that is only
one year and three months old,
So why can't I give him CBD?
If there is a solution,
and CBD comes from marijuana,
fine, we will use marijuana.
if it was found in pineapples,
we would use pineapples.
But it isn't.
The strength those mothers
are showing is huge.
They don't care
if there's a law
that might put them in jail
from 5 to 15 years for traffic,
they will keep buying
a banned medication
that comes from marijuana
in order to treat their children.
It's a social demand, they want
to take care of their children
and they are showing the State
the path to be followed.
As a matter of fact,
they're doing politics.
On Thursday,
Katiele's injunction was issued.
On Friday, ANVISA
released a note
which said that nobody
had talked to them
and that importing the drug
was a possibility.
They didn't even know
which documents were required.
They just told me:
"Bring everything you have".
The fact that ANVISA
had authorized
the acquisition of the product for
children with refractory epilepsy,
along with the fact that
a prescription was required,
suggests that
the government
was also authorizing the doctor
to issue that prescription.
So it seemed that
we were allowed to prescribe it.
However, it wasn't that simple,
because we still don't have
an official position
regarding that.
I had an appointment
with the doctor on Thursday,
so I decided to wait
and talk to doctor Wagner,
who I didn't know,
and ask him for a prescription.
When I talked to him about CBD
and asked for his opinion,
he told me this was currently
the only option for Dravet.
If there's anything for Dravet
nowadays, it's CBD.
But he didn't want
to prescribe it.
He didn't want to put
this on paper.
ANVISA requires
the prescription.
And how will I do this
without a prescription?
I got the prescription
from a friend,
who is Gustavo's doctor
since he was born.
I didn't think twice.
I didn't even think.
I did it in accordance with
all the regulations.
What is the problem
of giving the prescription?
It's not any drug,
people are researching it,
it's medicine,
it´s for medical use.
It's a belief that is typical
of a doctor's education,
to believe that it's just harmful.
So, people are afraid.
If THC was the solution,
I would prescribe THC.
I'm not sure what I would do
if I was a doctor.
I'm a mother.
If a mother wants CBD,
she will get CBD.
For her, it seems absurd that
a doctor wouldn't prescribe it.
I think the pharmaceutical
industry is involved.
We can't imagine the role that
greed has in a capitalist world.
Because if CBD
succeeds,
people would stop buying
Depakene, Depakote,
phenobarbital, and hidantal,
am I right?
It's something
hard to investigate.
There's no way of knowing
the influence of the "Big Pharma"
in the whole situation.
But this is something
that clearly goes against
all the lobby imposed
by the Big Pharma.
It took me, Camila,
an educated woman,
a mother that loves her son,
living in Brasilia,
right next to ANVISA,
I took one month...
...to get enough CBD
for just three months.
And that's me, Camila,
and I live in Brasília.
But what about the people living
in Rio Grande do Sul's countryside?
What about those living
in Ceara's countryside?
What is she going
to do about it?
I'm totally for
the local production.
But I would like
the right seeds.
People say there are
people in Brazil producing them.
So if I could buy it,
if I could import
the right seeds,
and if I knew those seeds had
the right amount of CBD and THC,
I would do it.
Because I want to fight for it,
I have to do it.
He is my only son.
As a surgeon,
it seems that every surgery
adds a weight on my shoulders.
Patients show
no improvements.
Every week I do four or five
back surgeries.
That's what I do.
If the patient doesn't get better,
I also feel bad.
So I started to see cannabis
as an alternative.
As for the surgery screw,
morphine, or opioids,
I would also like to use cannabis
as a therapeutic option.
And I didn't.
I went to Amsterdam,
brought back some seeds,
and I started to research
how to do this.
So, one day I found Growroom
while surfing the web,
and I saw that the page
had a few tips on how it works.
I began to search how to grow it
and realized it was feasible.
Then I decided I would do it.
Ever since Growroom came about,
if you do a quick search,
you'll see that the first article
on medical marijuana
is probably dated from 2002,
the year the page was created.
Most of the visitors
are people looking for treatment,
people who go seek,
in Growroom, information
about their diseases
and treatments with marijuana.
My best results
were observed in patients
with fribromyaldia, at first.
This was a turning point
in my life, in terms of Cannabis.
I was doing something
and it was working.
It's a long-term investment,
both of money and time,
because it's free,
there's no financial feedback,
It's a life project, I think.
If you have tried everything
and nothing has worked,
you'll keep taking medicine
that bring some relief.
At the same time, we'll start
this treatment.
"Are you up for it?",
and everyone says "yes".
Everyone.
I just bring up the subject,
I just offer it to the patient
when I've know the person
for a long time, years.
It's not months, it takes me
years to offer this to patients.
Margarete and I
are very close,
but besides her,
nobody knows about it.
Actually, Sofie is the only child
I know using it, no one else.
I use a species that contains
only CBD, the Harle-Tsu.
If a doctor, in Brazil, prescribes
any marijuana-based medicine,
or marijuana itself,
he will have his
registry suspended,
and will be investigated
for this.
The Regional Council of Medicine,
in São Paulo, stipulated it in 2010
and hasn't altered it
ever since.
Due to this, the doctors
in Brazil cannot prescribe it,
but they are free to say
whatever they want.
If I lose my registration,
I can't pay my bills.
Unlike other professionals,
we rely on a Council
that will grant us
permission to work.
We're celebrating
Anny's birthday today.
It's her first birthday after
we were granted the right
to legally import CBD.
I would like authorities in Brazil
to carry out
a careful study about it,
along with
qualified professionals,
doctor and scientists,
for instance,
and the politicians themselves
got involved,
not only for Anny,
but for children all over
the country and even the world.
We got scared, at first,
because we had no idea
it was possible to make
medicine from marijuana.
And if they use it
responsibly,
we have to support it and make it
accessible not just for Anny,
but for others. So, they
may have this possibility.
I'll sing from the heart
So listen very carefully
I thank you very much
And I say it sincerely
You came this far
To be around us
To bring us a bit of joy
And make things a little better
Anny, you just couldn't
be any different.
You couldn't be someone else.
You're simply our Anny.
A girl who teaches us every day
that nothing happens by chance.
A six-year old girl
who is able to change lives.
And to change the history
of a country as big as Brazil.
Here we go.
My tummy hurts.
The website...
...Te delivery date has vanished
from the FedEx website.
It was Thursday, but now
it says "n/a", not available.
-What does that mean?
-Good question.
It seems there's no
delivery date.
So let's check
if it has arrived at the airport.
"ANVISA."
That's what I'm saying,
it's that way.
See? "ANVISA".
"ANVISA", it's this way.
Hello...?
-Is there any good news?
-Yes, not that bad.
-Come on in.
-Excuse us.
-There's always something, right?
-What do you mean by "not so bad".
Actually,
there was problem.
Because the package said
"ANVISA",
they had to confirm it again
on their system
in order for it
to be updated.
But they told me that
it would arrive within 24h.
So it was FedEx fault?
Yes, at first,
but it was solved.
-So it was it was the IRS?
-No, no.
-It's wrong.
-I know, just wait a minute.
Let's take it slow.
It didn't arrive here.
There was a small problem.
-Why do we require the IL?
-The Importing License...
Yes, every medicine
must have a number.
This way, we know
the recipient's name
so we can prevent
a trading business to set in.
So, with IL, will it
arrive in airports to?
Yes, it will arrive in airports.
What about cities that do not
have an airport, Ricardo?
The question is not
the airport itself,
the problem is if there's not
an IRS office there,
and the office
is located in the airport.
We're speaking the same language,
but I still don't get the IL thing.
What happen is that
this was a court decision,
so we had to comply
with it and approve.
-So it was a matter of...
-You had to approve it?
We had to approve it,
and we did all it was necessary.
-Let's hope it arrives, then.
-But it already has!
Well, it just didn't get
to the proper place!
-It was inspected...
-We've got to have faith.
It's very simple,
there won't be any problem.
The issue is that this substance
is not just controlled,
it's forbidden here.
So it shouldn’t have gotten in.
-We'll come back tomorrow, then.
-No, I'll call you.
Thanks, Ricardo,
see you.
What's more important?
A system for tracking down
the products that arrive here
or a child's life?
MARIJUANA MARCH, 2014
SÃO PAULO
MARIJUANA MARCH, 2014
RIO DE JANEIRO
We have to stop being
so hypocritical, we have to evolve!
The Marijuana March is the greatest
expression
of our fight
NO MORE HYPOCRISY
against this
absurd prohibition...
"BRING AN END
TO YOUR PREJUDICE."
"CANNABIS MAY SAVE LIVES."
We have to end
this nonsense war...
"CAN I GROW IT?"
We have invited here
a few mothers whose children
have refractory epilepsy,
and who cannot treat them
through conventional means
and have decided
to treat them with marijuana.
So let's welcome them
and make them feel comfortable,
because they are fighting
for their children's rights.
Thank you all.
"CANNABIS MAY SAVE LIVES.
THINK ABOUT IT."
"REFRACTORY EPILEPSY
NEEDS CBD NOW."
We feel that things
are finally getting started,
they're not "virtual" anymore,
they're real now.
I
t's a great support...
...A great psychological help
to know that
you are not alone.
I think those mothers
whose children need
products that derive from cannabis
in order to get treatment
have joined the activists
that are fighting for their rights.
And that's a very important
convergence.
I've noticed the relation between
cannabis and multiple sclerosis.
I cannot be outside the law
anymore,
while using
low-quality products.
I know things are slow,
but, for me, it's horrible to wait.
It's amazing the ignorance that
some doctors and scientists show
regarding the biological process
associated with marijuana
and our body's reaction to it.
I don't think it's controversial for
people to seek health or well being.
It's unbelievable that someone
finds this controversial.
I hope people start to realize
that we are serious.
Life does not wait.
At first, we started
to research cannabidiol.
We got better informed
about it.
Soon we met some people
who smoked it.
People who would benefit
from its use and relied on it.
The question was not
Anny's supply anymore.
It was the use of
medical marijuana
in the treatment for
many other diseases
and no one wants
to talk about it.
THC is very important
for those who are on chemo,
for those who suffer
from chronic pains...
There's a whole list
of diseases
that could be treated
with medical marijuana.
THC is a compound
found in marijuana
that has psychoactive effects.
It's responsible for other
medical properties of the plant.
What should I do?
Let's see.
"Try coloring number six."
You already did,
it's great. It's a rainbow.
You have ballet class today.
We find it incredible
that she can walk,
go to university,
take care of two children.
She sustained
a serious back injury.
She went through
two surgeries
to try to fix
her vertebrae
and straighten
her bone marrow.
They tried,
but they didn't succeed.
What happens is that
her nerve roots
are being crushed.
I've tried
every sorts of medication:
anti-epileptic,
anticonvulsants,
some heavy medication,
even morphine,
which I used to consume a lot.
I would use so much morphine,
baclofen, and other sorts
of strong medication,
that I decided to get
a morphine pump
that would be connected
directly to my brain.
I can't find
any similar cases,
but I kept looking for
something that could help me.
Soon I found out about the use
of marijuana for neurological pain.
I started using it and
the spasms decreased, stopped.
Feeling pain became normal.
When I don't feel any pain,
it's what I need.
Marijuana is the only thing
that really helps me.
It's the only drug
that actually does it.
When I went to
extract my morphine pump,
I realized it was
something so unusual,
that the procedure wasn't even
listed on the health plan.
There was the insertion,
but not the extraction.
Because once you're addicted,
it's over.
Ovarian cancer
is one of the most aggressive ones
Only 30 per cent
of people survive.
Thank God I was
one of them.
Hello.
I was eight months pregnant
when I started to feel
severe pains around the ovaries.
I went through a Cesarian.
My daughter’s lung
was malformed,
so she was taken to the ER
right away.
Meanwhile I went through
a hysterectomy and went home.
So, a week later,
I started doing chemo.
It was one of the
worst moments of my life,
I felt like a truck
had ran me over.
I could barely open my eyes,
from all the pain I was
feeling all around my body.
I wasn't hungry,
I didn’t want to eat anything,
I would force myself to eat
fruits, juice,
and other liquids, which,
basically, I could digest
without feeling nauseous.
The person starts to lose weight
and gets thinner and thinner.
She couldn't even take water,
which was her only "food".
The pain and the sickness
were terrible,
but the psychological aspect
was even worse.
I was always afraid of dying
and losing my daughter.
She became so depressed,
that she said "my newborn daughter
is here, but I can't do anything".
She barely had enough strength
to get out of bed.
We started to search
for something
that had any effect
or improved chemo.
Nothing the doctor prescribed
actually worked.
It was a surprise,
I had no idea
that marijuana could diminish
the chemo's symptoms.
I started to eat normally,
I was hungry again.
The fear I had, vanished,
and I was normal.
I had friends over again,
I started to laugh,
I would laugh
while telling the story.
For the first time she could
get our daughter in her arms.
She could finally enjoy
being a mother.
People don't understand
that I smoke to kill the pain.
I'm tired of smoking marijuana
locked in the bathroom
because of the neighbours,
because of the smell,
because of prejudice.
There were some neighbours that
stopped talking to me
and even with my daughters
due to this.
I want to go to places,
I want to be a part of society
without people staring at me
because I smoke marijuana.
We started to research
and we saw that some web pages
that sold the seeds
would say what type
was the best one
for what disease.
So we gave it a shot.
The desire of growing it
was bigger than the fear.
It was bigger than the fear
Os the neighbours or the police.
It was 07:30 AM when
I came downstairs
and I saw this woman
get out of a car.
After she confirmed my identity,
she told me she was a bailiff.
I was charged with
international drug trafficking.
I didn't have the right to bail
or habeas corpus, anything.
It's considered a heinous crime.
After we went through everything,
after my daughter and I
had survived...
He was charged
with international trafficking.
We couldn't believe that.
National Congress
Brasília
These mothers have contacted
this Human Rights Commission
so they could talk with its members
and ask for their support,
since tomorrow
they will talk to ANVISA.
Now I will give the floor
to one of these mothers.
Come here, Katiele. Come on,
both of you, have a seat.
I'll give the floor
to Margarete,
who will talk about
her experiences and motivations.
I'm a mother and I represent
a group of other mothers
who use medical cannabis.
We would like to ask
for the support of this Commission,
because this is a subject
that's surrounded by prejudice.
We're here to say that
there is evidence
and marijuana is neither an evil
or a miraculous herb,
it's a herb that has
certain medical properties.
So we would like to ask you
to consider the issue
without any prejudice.
That's all.
Thank you,
Margarete and Katiele.
-Congratulations for your bravery.
-Thank you.
-...of cannabis.
-Medical.
Just medical.
We are talking only about medical...
We need someone who can
approach the issue of research.
-Who does that?
-The big manufacturers.
The big manufacturers.
My idea, which I will give
to Jean Wyllys and Paulo Teixeira,
is separate the discussions.
We have to discuss
the issues separately.
-Have you told Jean Wyllys?
-Not yet, but I will today.
This is what
I wanted to hear.
Most people still have
quite a bit of prejudice,
and the MPs just want
to keep their jobs.
They want to be reelected.
Why have I decided to start
this project this year?
Because it's election year.
Everybody would talk about it,
the press, the people,
the whole country.
I talked to the president,
and he told me:
"But this is a very tricky matter,
why should we start a fight?"
And I told him
about the medical properties.
"But the project cover
more than that."
"It's very vague. You see
what Jean Wyllys has done?"
He said it as if
pointing out a huge mistake.
So if we focus
on the medical aspects
we're likely to get 80 to 80
per cent of approval
among all the MPs,
even the evangelicals.
I won't lie to you,
I'm not a self-seeking.
I won't tell you
what you want to hear,
even though someone else
may already have.
No, I just want the truth.
I'll be honest,
I'll not try to fool you.
I cannot say that everyone here
has the same opinion.
-It's not true.
-I wanted to talk about that.
It's not true.
ANVISA has approved
the import Gustavo's medication.
Have a look.
Hey! Can you turn down
the air-conditioner, please?
Quite a few of my MP friends
told me
that if we focus on the medical
aspects, they would support it,
but not if the discussion
was on general terms.
This Congress is prejudiced
against some things,
just like society.
Because society doesn't want
to open its eyes.
And neither do they,
but we're getting there.
It's hard work,
that requires awareness.
As for the legalization and
regulation of marijuana,
I intend to focus on
the number of deaths,
the number of homicides
caused by the war on drugs.
I'm fighting against
discrimination
of the poor population
all over the country.
The issue of marijuana
is very important for that,
so I decided that I would
fight all those wrong notions
and try to solve them.
But I'm sure that today
Cristóvão will approve it.
-He won't be here today.
-He won't?
He's traveling.
What a shame!
Then I'll keep going anyway.
It was good, right?
It was very good!
That was what I wanted.
I think now we did it.
We have to realize that
these causes walk hand in hand.
That is, to ensure
the medical use,
first we have to legalize it.
I know I'll be selfish right now,
but my focus, as a mother,
is right here, right now.
I want it now.
You see, when I checked my phone,
my daughter was at the hospital.
I thought: "Fuck me!"
Edit this out!
If I were you,
I would probably feel the same.
"Jean Wyllys wants
to legalize it".
I know you want to discuss it all,
and I'm all for it,
but let's focus on this first,
I need this fast.
I can't separate the discussions,
we have to talk about
the whole subject.
Our issue is with ANVISA.
That's right, it's not here.
4th International Symposium
on Medical Cannabis
São Paulo
My main cause is research.
We take to the streets,
we will make noise,
we will do whatever
is necessary,
because my dream is to control
my daughter's seizures.
Here's the clinical study
they want so much.
Do something!
Don't accept
when someone tells you:
"You see, there's nothing
you could do about it."
"There's nothing you could do."
Do you know how devastating that is?
So don't accept it,
go ahead, fight for it!
Now it's up to one
of the directors of ANVISA
the removal of cannabidiol
from the list of substances
that are currently forbidden
here in Brazil.
Should the doctor have any doubts,
he can clarify it with the Council.
It was a phone call, Katiele called
and explained her situation,
that she had to smuggle the drug
to treat her daughter.
It was something
that really got to me.
I even got a little shaken
from seeing her here.
It seems to me that what
science couldn't accomplish,
a mother could.
As they demand a solution
for their problem,
they're doing politics,
and that kind of attitude
is starting to have an effect
by changing a regulation,
that the country has been
denying to change for many years.
To what extent
does this sort of classification
hurt democracy?
Because we do not have
the right to discuss
how this plant
is being classified.
The vice-president of
the Federal Council of Medicine
claimed that they would
never allow a Brazilian doctor
to prescribe any kind
of marijuana product.
We have to abolish prejudice,
we're losing a lot of time.
What I want to talk about now
is biological medicine.
The thing is that we were forced
to approve registrations
of molecules whose phase 3 trial
was concluded just two months ago.
They are too recent,
their future is unknown.
We have to register them, though.
But not cannabidiol.
And why is that?
Because the industry wants
to approve them quickly.
A treatment that costs over
R$ 100 thousand a month is great.
And the government
pays for it...
Yes, exactly.
However, cannabidiol
is much cheaper, it has no patent.
Who would want it?
These are the rules
of their game.
Not our rules,
let me be clear.
I'm saying it
so you don't get mad.
-Yes, I know.
-She has a very short fuse.
And there's one just like me,
Camila, from Brasília.
There are many others.
Maybe there is knowledge,
but there is no discussion,
because there's no way of putting it
into practice in a clinic.
To discuss in theoretical terms
is not common for us.
When I was a kid, people would say:
"That kid is a pothead!"
This sort of things start,
in people's and doctor's mind,
since he was raised
by this culture in Brazil,
the fear of a drug that,
essentially, will harm you.
I think now
we have to evolve even more.
We have to hope for the best.
The president of ANVISA
said that the liberation
of the compounds of the tree
for therapy, will be studied
by the end of this month.
It's important to demystify.
MEETING OF ANVISA'S BOARD
OF DIRECTORS - MAY 29TH, 2014.
This is the result of a journey
that started last October
and which has brought us
many difficulties, right?
Many fears.
Today is the day
we take the first step.
I think there's still
a lot to fight for.
What I want today is
to eliminate the bureaucracy.
If we do it, we'll be
halfway there.
And even if it gets
to the C1 list,
the doctors still have
prejudice and lack of knowledge.
to give a prescription.
It's useless putting it on C1
without the prescriptions.
And the main excuse is the fact
that it's a forbidden substance,
They don't want to prescribe
something illegal.
As of today
it won't be anymore.
What we're discussing here
is the feasibility
and the relevance of transferring
one of the compounds
found in the species
Cannabis sativa
to a list of controlled
substances
and what are the consequences
of such procedure.
Everything that represents
a risk, might cause harm.
Our mission is to protect
people from those harms,
because they will be exposed
to the risks.
Cannabidiol is one
of the substances of cannabis
and has been subjected
a technical study.
The classification of cannabidiol
to the C1 list would not indicate
that other substances would
also be classified as such,
let alone receive
the same treatment,
especially the THC.
If a product leaves the US
and comes to Brazil,
we would have THC coming too.
And the International Treaty
does not consider
if it is for medical purposes
or not.
The situation
I have just exposed
makes it very intricate
for the direction board
to consider the subject
that is being discussed.
What I am realizing now
is that simply transferring
cannabidiol
from one list to another
will be pointless regarding
people's needs.
A group of doctors
still feel a little unsure
about giving this sort
of prescription.
It's true that a decision
like this would show society
that it is possible to obtain
substances from alternative means.
But if ANVISA approves it,
that would suggest people
that things are quite easy
and that everything is solved now,
and it's not.
-Is it over?
-It was adjourned.
I want to talk to you.
Am I not allowed
to talk to you?
As mother,
I have this right.
How can you say that
it's not worth it?
The thing is, you should look for
our complaints department...
But they will simply
listen to me,
and I want you
to talk to them for me.
The number doesn't work!
There's no demand because
we can't get you to listen!
I'm ashamed
of being Brazilian.
What you said about
the lack of demand is not true!
No, I said there was
four requests in 2014...
The number doesn't work!
Wait, wait.
If I were to ask you for
an exception, ANVISA requires...
ANVISA requires
the prescription of a doctor
in order for me
to ask for an exception.
Where am I going to find
a doctor brave enough
to put his own registration
at risk
for prescribing a substance
that is officially forbidden?
That's the question.
I can't understand
what was decided there
or why they are not going
to move it from the C3 list.
It's absurd!
Nobody can get a prescription
for a prohibited substance.
That's what they should explain,
because he said there's no demand,
but there are many mothers who
are using a prohibited substance
because they bring it illegally.
And that number will go up!
Everyday there will be
more and more people doing it
and giving that to their children
without medical advice
because of that ridiculous speech
we heard there.
I receive hundreds of messages
every week
and Margarete
also receive hundreds.
The mothers
can't get the prescription
because it's
a prohibited substance.
Of course!
It's a vicious circle.
So nobody can say
that there's no demand.
What I would like
to say to ANVISA
is that the amount of time it takes
to carry out a clinical trial
is much bigger
than that of a mother
whose child is having a seizure
at a hospital bed.
And I think that if their children
had 80 seizures every week,
if they had to consume
CBD illegally,
and if their children
benefited from that,
I'm sure that the clinical trial
would be much faster.
ANVISA's board of directors
didn't remove cannabidiol
from the list
of prohibited substances.
Camila couldn't stay
until the end of the discussions.
During the meeting,
her son had a very serious seizure.
He died 48 hours later.
I don't blame ANVISA
for the death of my son.
But I deserved a faster solution,
as well as every mother.
As far as I know, even after
this, bureaucracy is still there.
Can't you see
that our cause is urgent?
They're putting lives on hold
for political interests.
It's ridiculous!
It's absurd and unacceptable!
What we have is a group of mothers
trying to save their children.
But there's also
the apathetic government,
ANVISA, which doesn't do anything,
doctors, who don't prescribe,
the Medicine Council,
that still hasn't taken a stand...
These mothers are
all around, completely lost.
They don't have time to wait.
They can't ask their children
to stand some more seizures
because ANVISA is deciding
what to do.
I think we have
to count on ourselves,
because the truth is that
we can't rely on the State.
It's my pain.
I'm the one who's sick
and can't have a normal life.
Why should the State tell me
what's good for my pain?
The government
only cares about itself.
If reality doesn't get to them,
they won't look for it.
The fact that people
are creating pressure groups
to inquire the authorities,
that makes things much faster.
They don't want power, they
don't have a government plan,
they just want to change
one aspect of reality,
and the Brazilian State
won't allow it.
Everything that has changed
was confronted once.
And if we don't do it,
nothing will ever change.
Anny!
Let's take the medicine?
Let's take the medicine?
You're going to help daddy,
right?
Today she talks to us,
she is more present.
Who’s my little princess?
Who?
Her life changed a lot,
and so did ours.
Happiness has returned
to our home.
Today she laughs,
it's amazing.
She quickly turned her head
when I made a noise.
These are our impressions now,
this is our vocabulary.
Now she can clearly show
when she's happy or not.
It's really incredible that she
is able to do all this.
It's worth trying
anything that might help,
anything that might bring
some relief to this people,
their families,
their children...
Only people who live through it
know how hard it is.
So every time I receive
a message from someone
saying that they were able
to buy it, somehow,
either through traffic
or an authorization from ANVISA,
telling us that their children
have gotten better,
that there are
fewer seizures now,
that they are smiling again,
that they're starting to walk...
Because we know that no matter
what a child might accomplish,
that will always be
a moment of joy.
I think it's a long way,
that requires a lot of persistence.
From everyone.
You can't just give up.
I have the right for
a less bureaucratic country
and an administration
that is less stupid. It's my right.
We want this to be fast,
because our clock goes faster
than that of politics.
So we want it to be quick.
But it's already a fact:
There's no coming back.
I would like to see people
choosing their own treatment.
That's what I hope
for the future.
Thaís' cancer hasn't come back.
Jairo is waiting to be trialed
for International
Drug Trafficking.
Juliana became the first Brazilian
to be legally allowed
to import nabixinols, an extract
from marijuana that contains THC.
Camila accepted
to take part in this movie
even after the death
of her son, Gustavo.
He was the first person
to legally import cannabidiol,
without having to appeal
to the Judiciary.
Margarete formalized APPEPI
and became an important activist
on the battle for the regulation
of medical marijuana.
It has been five months
since Anny's last seizure.
In the semester
that followed her injunction,
ANVISA issued 74 authorizations
allowing her to import cannabidiol.
This movie is dedicated
to Gustavo Guedes
and everyone
fighting for their rights.