Colombia relaunches cannabis legalization with a new bill

In mid-May, Colombian legislators approved a new reform proposal in committee. The bill, championed by Deputy Alejandro Ocampo, was approved by the first committee of the House of Representatives and will now be submitted to the full House before being forwarded to the Senate for further votes.

If passed, this legislation would establish a regulated adult-use recreational cannabis market in the country, with rules covering cultivation, distribution and sale.

«We just approved cannabis regulation in the first debate. It's time to regulate. We're going to regulate everything, from the seed to the finished product,» said Alejandro Ocampo in a message posted on social networks. «We're going to take marijuana off the street so that it can only be sold in places that require ID, permits and licenses.»

A new attempt after previous failures

This is not the first time Colombian legislators have attempted to pass a reform aimed at legalizing cannabis. Several previous proposals have failed in recent years, including a constitutional reform that narrowly missed the mark. in its final phase in 2023. Another bill also stalled in Congress last year, although it did take the first step.

These new efforts reflect growing political support for regulation under President Gustavo Petro, who has repeatedly criticized prohibitionist drug policies. Mr. Petro argued that the war on drugs had strengthened criminal organizations while fuelling violence across Latin America.

At a Senate hearing in 2022, the Colombian Minister of Justice described the country as the victim of ’a failed war conceived 50 years ago which, due to absurd prohibitionism, has brought us a lot of blood, armed conflict, mafias and crime«.

Petro himself has regularly denounced what he sees as the’international hypocrisy on cannabis policy. Following a trip to the United States in 2023, the Colombian president highlighted the contrast between prohibition in producer countries and legal adult markets in some parts of North America.

What's in the Colombian cannabis bill?

The bill would allow adults aged 18 and over to legally purchase up to 20 grams of cannabis flowers and 5 grams of concentrates per day. A tax of 20% would be applied to legal sales.

The bill would also authorize the domestic cultivation of up to 20 plants per person. People with previous convictions for cannabis-related offences would be able to apply to have their criminal record expunged and possibly be released from prison.

Another notable aspect of the reform is the authorization of non-profit Cannabis Clubs, which would be allowed to collectively grow up to 200 plants for their members.

The text also includes provisions aimed at integrating communities historically linked to cannabis cultivation into the future legal industry. According to Colombian media reports, at least half of all legally distributed cannabis should come from cultivation carried out by ethnic groups and peasant associations. In addition, 70 % of cultivation licenses would be reserved for these communities.

Ocampo defended the social dimension of the project, claiming that the reform would «help the homeless, farmers and indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities who have been living with this plant for many years».

Alongside legalization measures, the proposal includes restrictions aimed at limiting access and exposure to minors. Advertising of cannabis products would be subject to restrictions, while the government would be responsible for implementing prevention and public awareness campaigns concerning problematic consumption.

A regional turning point in drug policy

This latest vote once again puts Colombia at the center of the debate on drug policy reform in Latin America. Long associated with the global war on drugs, the country has increasingly positioned itself as a critic of prohibitionist strategies at international forums.

At the Latin American and Caribbean Conference on Drugs in 2023, the President Petro pointed out that Colombia and Mexico had become «the biggest victims of this policy», comparing the consequences of the war on drugs to «genocide».

Although the bill still has several legislative hurdles to clear before it comes into force, its progress highlights the growing momentum in favor of the cannabis regulation in one of the countries hardest hit by decades of prohibition.