Colombia authorizes export of medical cannabis

Almost a year after set foot Colombia is taking its second step into the cannabis export market. The government has just publish Resolution No. 539, to allow Colombian cannabis growers to export seeds, seedlings, and even dried flowers. Some companies are already in the starting blocks, ready to ship their products worldwide.

Specifically, Colombians will be able to export « »seeds for planting, plant materials, live cannabis plants, cannabis, cannabis derivatives, and finished products.". This cannabis may be «psychoactive» or «non-psychoactive.». They will be able to send it «from within the country to anywhere in the world, once they have obtained the necessary authorizations», as specified in Article 21.

An important point to note: this cannabis must be used «for medical or scientific purposes.». Colombian companies will therefore be able to target countries that have legalized medical cannabis. This is the case in many U.S. states, as well as a few European countries such as Germany or the United Kingdom.

Exports to Germany in a few months

Before loading their products onto a ship, producers must comply with very strict regulations. First, they must receive approval from the VUCE, the government agency responsible for foreign trade. Next, they must obtain a stamp from the Ministry of Foreign Trade.

In this country, where the climate is ideal for growing cannabis, companies are almost ready. Clever Leaves, for example, says it will begin exporting its first THC-rich cannabis flowers in the third quarter of 2022. « "We have prepared for the regulatory changes planned by the Colombian government, and we now hope to supply flowers to our markets in 2022.", ", says his boss, Andrés Fajardo, from’El Tiempo.

The company already plans to export to Germany, in particular through its subsidiary in Hamburg. In the newspaper Infobae, Clever Leaves announcement and also be the first Colombian company to earn the certification Good Medical Practices (GMP), which is required to sell drugs.