Yahoo – AFP, Paula Carrillo, December 22, 2015
Bogota (AFP) - Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos signed a decree Tuesday legalizing and regulating medical marijuana, the latest softening of the country's hardline tactics in the war on drugs.
Bogota (AFP) - Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos signed a decree Tuesday legalizing and regulating medical marijuana, the latest softening of the country's hardline tactics in the war on drugs.
In a
nationally televised address, Santos announced it would be fully legal to grow,
process, import and export cannabis and its derivatives for medical and
scientific use.
"This
decree allows licenses to be granted for the possession of seeds, cannabis
plants and marijuana," he said from the presidential palace.
"It
places Colombia in the group of countries that are at the forefront... in the
use of natural resources to fight disease."
He added
that the measure "does not go against our international commitments on
drug control."
Colombia's
government has long been a close ally of the United States in fighting
international drug trafficking, using its military and billions of dollars in
US funding to try to shed its title as the world's largest cocaine producer.
But it has
shown signs of easing its hardline stance in recent months.
Santos's
announcement follows a recent decision to stop aerially spraying the herbicide
glyphosate on fields of coca, the raw ingredient for cocaine.
The World
Health Organization warned in April that the chemical, sold by US biotech
company Monsanto under the brand name Roundup, is "probably
carcinogenic."
Santos also
announced in September that Colombia would begin giving land to farmers who
stop growing coca.
Medical
marijuana had previously fallen into a legal gray area in Colombia.
It was
authorized under a 1986 law, but the lack of regulation prevented production on
a national level.
"The
manufacture, export, sale, and medical and scientific use of this and other
substances have been permitted for several decades in Colombia. However, they
were never regulated. That is what we are doing today," Santos said.
Under the decree, growers will apply for licenses from the National Narcotics Council, while those seeking to manufacture cannabis-based drugs will apply for permits from the health ministry.
Under the decree, growers will apply for licenses from the National Narcotics Council, while those seeking to manufacture cannabis-based drugs will apply for permits from the health ministry.
The health
ministry will also grant permits to export such drugs to countries where they
are legal.
"Our
goal is for patients to be able to access medications made in Colombia that are
safe, high-quality and accessible. It is also an opportunity to promote
scientific research in our country," Santos said.
'Plan
Colombia'
Colombia
decriminalized possession of up to 20 grams of marijuana in 2012, and it is
legal to grow up to 20 cannabis plants. But consuming it in public and selling
it are illegal.
Colombia's
Congress is currently debating a separate medical marijuana bill that would
define crop limits and other production details.
Its
sponsor, Senator Juan Manuel Galan, told AFP he hopes to have it signed into
law by June.
Medical
marijuana is already used in Colombia on a small scale.
For
example, some epileptics use cannabis extract to control their seizures.
But health
professionals and pharmaceutical companies say the new decree will make it much
easier to buy, sell and manufacture such drugs.
Illegal
drugs have given rise to horrific violence by drug cartels in Colombia, and
have fueled a five-decade conflict between leftist guerrillas and the Colombian
government that has killed more than 220,000 people.
The country
has received $9 billion in US funding since 1999 under "Plan
Colombia," a military and economic cooperation program aimed at combating
drug trafficking.
But it
remains a top producer of illegal drugs, particularly cocaine.
Coca
cultivation surged by 44 percent last year, to 69,000 hectares (170,000 acres),
according to the United Nations.
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