If there’s one country with a contradictory relationship with cannabis, it’s Colombia. On one hand, medical marijuana has been legal since 2016, with the foundations for a thriving industry that already exports the plant to multiple countries. On the other hand, the same plant exported for medical purposes is not available to Colombian patients; and that’s without even mentioning adult use: Congress has tiptoed around the subject of legalization so many times we’ve lost count.
Last year, there were signs of change, with the proposed amendment to Decree 811 of 2021. The decree currently prohibits the sale of medical cannabis flowers in Colombia, and if amended, the flower could be legally available for distribution in clinics, hospitals, and pharmacies. Currently, medical cannabis is only accessible through derived products. No progress has been made on this front since October.
Now, it seems, the wait could finally be over. The Colombian government has reportedly drafted a decree that would allow the domestic trade of medicinal cannabis flowers under prescription, according to El Tiempo.
Although the decree has not yet been published, it is already being discussed in the media by various actors, such as Congressman Juan Carlos Losada. In an interview with El Tiempo, the legislator behind the measure noted that while the move is positive, it comes very late.
“It should have been published by the first year of the government at the latest,” he said. “The regulations for this new decree are still pending, which could take more than six months, or a year. In that sense, it is very likely that the regulations will have to be implemented in the next four years, which leaves a clear uncertainty.”
Why so certain of this uncertainty? Because within this timeline, the proposed regulation could fall into the hands of the …
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Author: Marian Venini / High Times
