There are five companies devoted to the production of medical cannabis in Mendoza. Four have settled in Guaymallén, transforming the department into a medical cannabis production hub; an activity with economic potential and global projection.
Argentina has two laws regulating cannabis production:
- Law 27.350 (2017) establishes the regulatory framework for medical and scientific research involving the medicinal use of the cannabis plant and its derivatives. It creates the National Program for the Study and Research on the Medicinal Use of Cannabis (REPROCANN). It also authorizes the Ministry of Health to approve crops for research and oil production purposes. Additionally, it stipulates that the National Seed Institute (INASE) regulates the production, marketing, and traceability of cannabis seeds to ensure genetic quality, oversees the seed import process, and supervises the activities of growers authorized by the Ministry of Health. Mendoza adopted this law in 2020.
- Law 27.669 (2022) creates the regulatory framework for the development of the medical cannabis and industrial hemp industry. Creates the Hemp and Medical Cannabis Industry Regulatory Agency (ARICCAME), a body in charge of regulating and supervising the entire cannabis production chain.
In April 2025, the Provincial Legislature created the Cannabis and Industrial Hemp Provincial Registry to authorize, supervise, and control the production, distribution, and marketing of cannabis for medicinal, therapeutic, pain relief, and/or industrial purposes in the province of Mendoza.
Wichan SAS
Wichan SAS, a company led by Facundo Ledesma and Francisco Ramírez, has set up in the Los Corralitos district. Mayor Marcos Calvente visited their plant to talk to them.
Facundo Ledesma (from Wichan) met with the Secretary of Government Ignacio Conte, Mayor Marcos Calvente, and the Deputy Director of Tourism Fernanda Luffi.
Wichan has three other ventures from the same company in Patagonia, Buenos Aires Province, and Uruguay. The company is working to genetically modify the cannabis plant to enhance its use in different applications and products.
"All cannabis resins are different. Some are more oily, some are sweeter, so they have different textures. Thus, some are used to make oil and others for ointments, creams, or vaporizers," stated Ramírez, who is in charge of the chemical work.
Wichan has seven registered genetics. "This company is dedicated to creating seeds that are under the control of the National Seed Institute (Inase). We produce under conditions that allow the traceability of each plant," Ledesma added.
"Mendoza is an ideal place to produce seeds, as well as cuttings and seedlings, because it is a very healthy place and has good weather," he said. "We also make creams and oils for foundations that are prescribed by doctors," he added.
"The new law in Mendoza will allow us to start providing services to associations. For example, if an association needs a certain flower, we can generate it for them so that they can buy it to attend to their patients. The good thing about the new law is that it has a simplified regime for companies."
The company is currently building a new laboratory in Los Corralitos to develop products in sterile rooms, thereby enhancing the synthesis of cannabis components for the production of creams and oils, as well as supplying the pharmaceutical industry. The investment includes flowering and plant cloning rooms.
Dr. Cultivo
Dr. Cultivo is located in the district of Kilometro 8, Guaymallén. The CEO of the company is Exequiel Pocchettino, who learned how medical cannabis is produced in the United States, Canada, and China.
Exequiel Pocchettino (CEO of Dr. Cultivo) met with the director of Culture and Tourism, Carolina Vico, the head of Commercial and Industrial Development, Lorenzo Nieva, Mayor Marcos Calvente, and the Secretary of Government, Ignacio Conte.
Dr. Cultivo also produces seeds, seedlings, and cuttings. The farm currently works with six of its own genetics.
A sector of the farm is devoted to the crops of the Medical Cannabis Association, an organization that is responsible for providing patients with access to traceable, legal, and safe medical cannabis.
The Medical Cannabis Association and Dr. Cultivo work in tandem in Kilómetro 8. The Association also sells Dr. Cultivo's product in the more than six branches it has throughout the country. Pocchettino is the secretary of the Association, an entity that currently has a total of 4,000 members.
They rented the Kilómetro 8 farm in 2024, and they currently have "500 m² of covered shed, a drying room, an indoor room, 2,000 m² of greenhouses, and an outdoor box to plant in season (from November to April). We also have 2 more hectares that we are beginning to close so that we can grow CBD cannabidiol and, if the law allows it, export cannabis," Pocchettino says.
Dr. Cultivo also welcomes 90 students from Santa Rosa's Institute of Higher Education's Conscious Cannabis Cultivation Management course. The course was approved by the General Directorate of Schools and, through an agreement with the National University of Cuyo, was opened to students from the greater Mendoza area.
Pocchettino explains that Dr.Cultivo uses the entire plant. "The flower is the carrier of cannabinoids. We compost the stems and leaves to use them as fertilizer. We also have a dam with Koi fish to make aquaponics. We use the water and fish feces to feed our plants, completing the organic circle."
The farm is also open to visitors and tourists. It can be visited via a tour, and it even has a gastronomic offer. You can make reservations at 11 37861850.
Source: guaymallen.gob.ar
