Colombian President asks Congress to legalize cannabis in Colombia

The Colombian President Gustavo Petro once again urged Congress to legalize cannabis, reminding us that its ban fuels violence in the country.

Petro's push for cannabis legalization

The March 2, 2025, Petro renewed its call to Congress to regulate the cannabis use. He linked this issue to broader concerns about organized crime, stating:

«The fall of Namoussir Mounir, a link between the Colombian and Mexican cartels and the Balkan cartels, who resided in Cartagena, shows the degree of multinationalization of the cocaine mafias (...) I call on the Colombian Congress to legalize marijuana and take this crop out of the hands of violence. The prohibition of marijuana in Colombia only brings violence».

La caída de Namoussir Mounir, enlace entre carteles colombianos y mexicanos con carteles de los balcanes, quien residía en Cartagena, muestra el grado de multinacionalización de las mafias de la cocaína.

Hoy existen carteles mucho más poderosos que en le época de Pablo Escobar.... pic.twitter.com/VwZUxdsZBR

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- Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) March 2, 2025

The Colombian National Police, in collaboration with Belgian and British authorities, has decided Namoussir Mounir à Barranquilla the February 28, 2025. Alias Mou was an essential link in the trafficking chain between Colombia, Mexico and Europe. He is wanted by the Belgian justice system for cocaine trafficking and criminal association, and is the subject of a Interpol red notice.

Surveys show that Mounir has strengthened his ties with the Gulf Clan, one of Colombia's most powerful drug trafficking groups, facilitating shipments of cocaine to large-scale european markets.

Petro's broader drug policy proposals

Beyond the cannabis legalization, Petro called on world leaders to rethink drug policies, particularly with regard to coca leaf. It advocates ending the ban on coca leaf for uses other than cocaine.

«If coca leaf is used in fertilizers, food and other uses, this improves the policy of substituting illicit» he said.

These comments are part of his administration's broader strategy of is to abandon punitive policies in the field of drugs in favor of a regulations and economic alternatives for rural communities involved in illicit crops.

Repeated attempts at legalization

Despite Petro's efforts, previous attempts to legalize recreational cannabis failed in Congress. Since he took office in 2022, three proposals have been debated, but none has received enough votes to pass.

The most recent attempt, in 2023, has reached its final round of voting, but was rejected by a low margin of 47 votes for and 43 against. Expressing his frustration at the result, Mr Petro said:

«Congress, with one vote to spare, a vote that could be said to emanate from this or that party, did not approve the legalization of marijuana in Colombia, as if I didn't know how many countries in Europe have legalized it or as if we had [preferred to continue] killing each other.».

The Colombia legalized medical cannabis in 2016, but its recreational use remains prohibited. As a leading producer worldwide cocaine, the country faces complex challenges in balancing drug policy reform, law enforcement and international pressure to reduce traffic.

According to the’United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), colombian cocaine production increased by 53 % in 2023, reaching 2,600 tonnes per year. However, the authorities have also stepped up foreclosures, confiscating 861.7 tonnes of cocaine in 2024, an increase of 115 tons compared with the previous year.