Juan Manuel Santos, the president of Colombia, has signed the decree regulating the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.<\/p>\n
This decree, created in November 2015, lays the foundations and establishes the rules for the use of medicinal cannabis and only lacked the presidential signature to become effective.<\/p>\n
\u201cColombia is at the forefront of the fight against disease. This decree seeks to harness the benefits of marijuana to improve people's lives. It allows for the issuance of licenses for the possession of cannabis seeds and the cultivation of the plant for exclusively medical and scientific purposes,\u201d the president declared.<\/p>\n
It should be noted that this decree does not contemplate the legalization of free consumption.<\/p>\n
The objective is to "regulate the possession and cultivation of cannabis seeds and plants, as well as to regulate the processes of production, manufacture, export, distribution, trade, use and possession of these and their derivatives, intended for medical and scientific purposes.".<\/p>\n
The Minister of Health states that "it will benefit patients, but also scientists and producers.".<\/p>\n
Santos declared that this decree to allow the use of medicinal marijuana does not go against his policy of fighting drug trafficking or his international commitments on drug control, and stressed that countries such as the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Chile also allow the use of medicinal marijuana.<\/p>\n
A license from the National Narcotics Council or the Ministry of Health will be required for the cultivation and sale of marijuana. This license, granted 30 days after its submission, will authorize legal marijuana cultivation. It will also require adherence to a safety protocol that specifies the investment required and the involvement of local residents who will be working in the cultivation process.<\/p>\n
It should also be noted that, parallel to this decree, a bill is being processed in Congress that seeks to make the use of medicinal marijuana into law.<\/p>\n