Cannabis in Colombia
Cannabis in Colombia is illegal for public consumption and commercial sale, but legal for certain medical uses, and personal cultivation and consumption are decriminalized.
History
Cannabis has been cultivated in Colombia since the late colonial period, when hemp was grown for its industrial fibres. However even at that early state, cannabis was recognized for its psychoactive uses, but these remained largely confined to the fringes of Colombian society, and discouraged by the Catholic church and national law.[1] By the 1920s, possibly spurred by wider cannabis use in the Caribbean, recreational use of cannabis emerged in the Atlantic ports, particularly Barranquilla, leading the Colombian government to further restrict cannabis in 1939 and 1946.[2]
In the 1960s and 1970s, North American cannabis traffickers made inroads into Colombia, leading to booming production in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Urabá peninsula, where cannabis was smuggled in the region's massive northward shipments of bananas.[1]
Decriminalization (2012)
In 2012 the Colombian government decriminalized the possession of up to 20 grams, and personal cultivation of up to 20 plants, of cannabis.[3]
Medical cannabis (2015)
In 2015, president Juan Manuel Santos signed legislation allowing cannabis and derivatives for medical uses, and establishing guidelines for dispensaries.[4]
References
- 1 2 James D. Henderson (10 February 2015). Colombia's Narcotics Nightmare: How the Drug Trade Destroyed Peace. McFarland. pp. 27–. ISBN 978-0-7864-7917-7.
- ↑ Gabriel G. Nahas; Kenneth M. Sutin; David J. Harvey; Stig Agurell (5 April 1999). Marihuana and Medicine. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 640–. ISBN 978-1-59259-710-9.
- ↑ "Colombia decriminalizes cocaine, marijuana | Public Radio International". Pri.org. 2012-06-30. Retrieved 2016-11-26.
- ↑ Paula Carrillo (2015-12-22). "Colombia legalizes medical marijuana". Yahoo.com. Retrieved 2016-11-18.
