SANTIAGO, Chile - A Chilean municipality is planting the country's first legal medical marijuana as part of a pilot program aimed to help ease the pain of cancer patients and others.
The 850 seeds planted Wednesday were imported from the Netherlands.
Oil extracted from about half of the plants will be given to 200 patients selected by a municipality in the capital of Santiago and by the Daya Foundation, a non-profit group that sponsors pain-relieving therapies.
The 850-square-meter plot will be heavily guarded and monitored to ensure that none of the product drifts into unauthorized uses.
The Chilean experiment adds to an international trend of easing restrictions on marijuana, both for medical and personal use.
