Colombian lawmakers have given initial approval to a bill that would nationally legalize marijuana—with a House committee taking the first step in an extensive legislative process to enact the reform.
Last week, the First Committee of the House of Representatives approved the bill from Rep. Alejandro Ocampo. This cleared it for discussion in the entire chamber.
Due to the fact that it will amend the Constitution, this bill has to go through an extensive two-year procedure. It will be passed in both Houses of Congress and Senate over two consecutive sessions. There are eight votes required.
President Gustavo Petro, for his part, is supportive of legalizing cannabis—and he’s put pressure on legislators to advance the reform. He stated in 2023 that Members of Congress who have voted to put off a bill on legalization that year only helped to perpetuate illegal drug trafficking and the violence associated with the unregulated trade.
After a recent raid of an illegal cannabis cultivation facility, Gustavo again criticized Congress for so far failing to implement a regulated market that could disrupt cartels profiting from marijuana sales.
“If Congress had legalized cannabis, we wouldn’t have a thug killing humble Colombians unnecessarily,” he said in a social media post on Tuesday.
Lawmakers nearly enacted an earlier version of the legalization measure in 2023, but it stalled out in the final stage in the Senate last session—making it so supporters had to restart the lengthy legislative process laterThis year.
The process of revising the Constitution has begun again. According to an official summary, the bill would “recognize the right to privacy, to health, to equality and to non-discrimination, as well as the right to a free and independent development for the individual.”
The report of the First Committee states that “it is obvious that a constitutional amendment allowing medical, scientific, or adult uses for cannabis and its derivatives would not only be pertinent, but it is also needed to correct the contradictions and inconsistent laws that exist today in our system.” The report on the bill submitted to the First Committee states that “in addition, Colombia should join current international positions which have discovered, through the decriminalization, and legalization, of consumption and possession, more effective strategies in addressing the failed fight against drugs”.
First, the bill which advanced through committee reported Infobae proposes to give adults a constitutionally protected right to own cannabis. The text of the law states that commercial sales will be permitted, provided the necessary licenses or authorizations have been obtained by the relevant authority, and without affecting the legal cultivation for personal use.
The law also prohibits advertising of marijuana, except for those campaigns that are aimed to prevent consumption, and any educational and informative media aimed only at legal-age audiences. The public consumption of marijuana would remain prohibited.
In the six-month period following the passage of legislation, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection will be in charge of developing regulations to ensure public safety and educate people on cannabis.
This proposal also allows municipalities to tax marijuana sales, regardless of the national tax. Revenues would go towards health and education initiatives. Congress would be responsible for overseeing tax policies in each territory.
The bill’s report states that “the Colombian Congress is given an opportunity of a lifetime to strengthen the education system, the public health and human rights in the country.” It is said that the regulation of adult use cannabis would not only provide new economic opportunities in many regions, but also help to channel resources into health and education programs which are vital for social progress.
The initiative “This Initiative” represents an important step towards modernizing Colombian public policies and aligning the country with global trends which have shown to reduce crime and violence in connection with illegal drugs. “By regulating the adult use of cannabis, Colombia is making progress in protecting basic rights and creating an environment that’s more safe and just for everyone.”
You can also find out more about us on our website. A public hearing before the Senate committee in 2022 , Justice Minister Néstor Osuna said that Colombia has been the victim of “a failed war that was designed 50 years ago and, due to absurd prohibitionism, has brought us a lot of blood, armed conflict, mafias and crime.”
The Colombian President also recalled, during a trip to the US, in 2023 that he smelled the aroma of marijuana wafting along the streets of New York City. He commented on the “enormous hysteria” surrounding legal cannabis sales The drug war has now begun in the same nation as the one that began it decades ago.
Petro also took a Lead role in the Latin American and Caribbean Conference on Drugs 2023 The drug war is a “genocide” according to the statement, which notes that Colombia and Mexico have been “the most affected by this policy.”
Petrochemicals will be available in 2022. Delivered a Speech at an UN Meeting In a letter to member countries, the UN called on them to change fundamentally how they approach drug policy.
There’s been a lot of talk about him Legalizing marijuana could be a possibility in Colombia as one means of reducing the influence of the illicit market. In addition, he said the current cannabis offenders in jail should be freed as part of this policy shift.
Images courtesy of Bryan Pocius .