Brazil has a larger population than any of its South American continental peers by far, with nearly half of all South Americans residing in Brazil. Brazil’s estimated population is roughly 213.5 million people, and the next closest countries on the population ranking list are Colombia at 53.9 million people and Argentina at about 46 million people.

The legal medical cannabis market in Brazil is still underdeveloped compared to various other medical cannabis markets around the world, such as Canada or Germany, but it is still increasing year-over-year. According to recently published data, Brazil set a new national record for medical cannabis imports.

“Imports of medicinal cannabis in Brazil grew by 60% in March 2026, hitting a historic record. This figure is the highest since the beginning of the historical series in 2015, according to a survey by Cannect, obtained through the Access to Information Law.” reported CNN. “According to the data, the volume of authorizations granted by Anvisa totaled more than 61,000 in the first quarter of 2026. In March alone, there were 23,199 imports of medicinal cannabis-based products. This number represents a 60.1% increase compared to March 2025, when 14,485 permits were registered.”

“CNN Brazil had first-hand access to the data. The medicinal cannabis market in Brazil is expected to grow and generate R$1 billion in 2026, according to estimates from the consulting firm Kaya.” the outlet also reported.

Last month, new regulations for dispensing various medical cannabis products in Brazil’s pharmacies and other outlets took effect. The recently implemented measure, RDC No. 1.015/2026, from Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), replaced RDC No. 327/2019.

Brazilian researchers estimate that there are roughly 10 million “recent users” of cannabis in the country. The Federal University of São Paulo researchers found that 15.8% of adults report having consumed cannabis at least once in their lives. For contextual purposes, consider that the reported lifetime cannabis usage rate for France is 54.1%, and the reported rate in the United States is 47%.

According to recent data published by the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA), Brazil is now home to nearly one million legal medical cannabis patients.

“In May 2025, according to analyses close to ANVISA, Brazil had approximately 672,000 medical cannabis patients. Six months later, in November 2025, the number had risen to over 873,000. This represents an annual patient growth rate of around 56 percent, while market revenue grew by 22 percent during the same period, reaching the equivalent of approximately US$187 million (R$971 million).” reports Hanf Magazin (translated from German to English).

“47 percent of Brazilian patients obtain their products through personal import under Resolution RDC 660, 31 percent receive pharmacy-registered medications under RDC 327, and another 22 percent obtain their supplies through patient associations.” the outlet also reported.

To put the size of Brazil’s legal medical cannabis patient base into perspective, Germany is currently estimated to have between 700,000 and 900,000 legal medical cannabis patients out of a total population of roughly 83 million people. However, it is also worth noting that Germany’s current legal medical cannabis patient base is still growing, so while Brazil’s overall population is nearly three times that of Germany’s, and thus its potential medical cannabis patient base is likely three times that of Germany’s, how large Brazil’s medical cannabis patient base may become is still hard to estimate.