Brazil’s medical cannabis market grew 15% year over year and has more than quadrupled its revenue since August 2022. As prescriptions rise and pharmaceutical competition intensifies, the country is moving toward a new model of domestic production.
Medical cannabis continues to gain ground in Brazil. According to a new report by consulting firm Close-Up International, the sector generated R$485.4 million (approximately US$90 million) in the 12 months ending in August 2026, representing a 15% increase over the previous 12-month period.
The figures, reported by Sechat and presented during the fourth edition of Cannabis Connection, held November 5 in São Paulo, reflect the expansion of a market that still faces significant regulatory, production, and access challenges.
To put that growth into perspective, consider where things stood four years ago: in August 2022, annual revenue across the channels tracked by Close-Up totaled R$106.1 million. Since then, that figure has more than quadrupled.
Still, this figure does not necessarily capture the entire Brazilian cannabis market. Patients access medical cannabis treatments through several different channels, including pharmacies, individual imports, and patient associations. Estimates may also vary depending on which channels and methodologies are used.
Medical Cannabis in Brazil: More Sales, More Products and Falling Prices
Much of the growth is concentrated in the pharmacy retail channel. During the period analyzed, sales of medical cannabis products through pharmacies and drugstores reached R$289.8 million, up 16.5% from the previous year.
But there’s another interesting detail: while revenue increased 16.5%, sales volume jumped 31%, reaching approximately 953,000 units.
The gap between those figures suggests that average prices per unit fell by around 11%, amid increased competition and a more diverse product offering.
According to Panorama Farmacêutico, major pharmacy chains account for 66.2% of sales in the monitored pharmacy channel. However, the strongest growth came from the patient association channel, which expanded 35.7%, and independent pharmacies, which grew 29%.
The balance of power among manufacturers is also shifting. Prati-Donaduzzi remains the leader in the pharmacy channel, with a 26.6% share of sales, despite a 22.3% year-over-year decline. Meanwhile, established pharmaceutical companies such as Aché and Eurofarma posted growth of 132.3% and 412.3%, respectively.
The competition is no longer limited to companies specializing in cannabis. Traditional pharmaceutical manufacturers are also looking to claim their share of the market.
More Doctors Are Prescribing Cannabis, But Not All of Them Stick With It
Growth is also showing up in doctors’ offices. According to Close-Up, the number of physicians prescribing cannabis through pharmacies rose from 58,996 to 78,075, an increase of 32.3%.
At the same time, prescriptions increased 37.9%, reaching a total of 532,646.
However, an increase in the number of physicians prescribing medical cannabis does not necessarily translate into its sustained use in clinical practice. During the period analyzed, 47,964 physicians began prescribing it, while 28,885 stopped.
This turnover raises an important question for the industry: attracting more healthcare professionals is not enough. The barriers that make it difficult to sustain prescriptions also need to be addressed.
Professional education, treatment costs, and unequal access continue to shape how widely medical cannabis is incorporated into clinical practice.
The country, however, already has a substantial patient base. According to figures from Kaya Mind, Brazil surpassed one million regular medical cannabis patients in June 2026, spread across more than 5,000 municipalities.
Brazil Is Changing the Rules: What’s Next for Domestic Cannabis Cultivation?
This commercial growth coincides with one of the most significant regulatory shifts in Brazil in recent years.
In January 2026, Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) approved new regulations governing cannabis production for medical and pharmaceutical purposes, in compliance with a November 2024 ruling by the Superior Court of Justice.
Among the measures is RDC 1,013/2026, which establishes conditions for cultivating cannabis varieties with THC concentrations of 0.3% or less, subject to special authorization and health oversight.
The agency also established a specific framework for scientific research and a regulatory sandbox designed for patient associations.
Meanwhile, RDC 1,015/2026, which took effect in May, updated the rules governing the manufacturing, importation, and sanitary authorization of medical cannabis products.
The new regulations mark a significant shift, although substantial restrictions remain in place, along with a particularly strict oversight system.
The possibility of developing a domestic cannabis supply chain is especially relevant in a country that still relies heavily on imported products.
According to Agência Brasil, Anvisa issued 116,372 import authorizations for medical cannabis products during the first half of 2026, nearly 29% more than during the same period in 2025.
March alone saw 23,199 authorizations, a monthly record that highlights the scale of demand. It’s worth noting that these figures refer to administrative authorizations and do not necessarily represent commercial transactions that were ultimately completed.
The challenge now is determining how much of those imports could eventually be replaced by domestic production under the new rules, without compromising the quality or safety of treatments.
Can Brazil turn its economic growth into more affordable medical cannabis treatments for its population?
