Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed into law on Friday a measure allowing women over the age of 18 to purchase, possess and carry pepper spray for personal defence. The law, published in the Official Gazette and effective immediately, classifies the aerosol device as a non-lethal tool intended to temporarily incapacitate an aggressor during an actual or imminent threat to physical or sexual integrity. Its adoption comes amid mounting alarm over gender-based violence: a recent report by the Brazilian Forum on Public Safety recorded 87,545 victims of rape and rape of a vulnerable person in 2024, while femicides rose 4% in 2025 to 1,571 cases, with six in ten committed by intimate partners.

Brazilian legislators fast-tracked the bill through both chambers, with the Senate approving it in late June. The government, however, vetoed several provisions it deemed counterproductive. The executive struck down clauses that would have permitted adolescents aged 16 and 17 to acquire the spray with parental consent, and removed a requirement for women to file a police report within 72 hours if their device was lost or stolen. In its veto message, the administration argued that imposing administrative sanctions on the user “contradicts the public interest” because it could lead to disproportionate punishment of the very women the law aims to protect, noting that criminal and civil law already address any misuse. The law also establishes a national training programme on self-defence and domestic violence reporting, to be implemented gradually.

Under the new rules, civilian sprays are limited to 50-millilitre canisters; larger capacities are restricted to military and police forces. Purchasers must present official identification, proof of residence, and a self-declaration confirming no prior conviction for a violent crime. Retailers are required to log buyer details and retain records for five years while providing usage guidance. Misuse can result in fines of up to ten monthly minimum wages, confiscation of the device, and a ban on reacquisition for up to five years, on top of any criminal liability for injury or illegal coercion. The measure standardises what had been a patchwork of state-level authorizations, notably in Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina, and explicitly excludes the spray from the country’s strict firearms statute.

In Bogotá, a separate legislative push is under way as Colombia’s Congress revisits a constitutional amendment to regulate adult cannabis consumption. The proposal, spearheaded by the ruling Pacto Histórico coalition, would permit possession, production and commercial distribution of cannabis and its derivatives for recreational use under state-issued licences, while maintaining bans near schools and parks and investing in prevention campaigns. The initiative has previously faltered in its final legislative stage due to insufficient majorities. Proponents now seek cross-party backing, though its passage remains uncertain. Back in Brazil, while the pepper-spray law is in force, its full implementation awaits regulatory rulings from the national health surveillance agency Anvisa on technical specifications such as concentration limits and safety standards.