If there's one country with a deeply conflicted relationship with cannabis, it's Colombia. On the one hand, Colombia's legalization of medical cannabis in 2016 has laid the foundation for a thriving industry, with product already exported to numerous countries. On the other hand, it feels profoundly illogical that cannabis exported for medical purposes isn't available to Colombian patients.

Last year, there were signs of change with the proposed revision of Decree No. 811 of 2021. This decree currently prohibits the sale of medical cannabis flower in Colombia. If successful, the revision would allow the legal sale of medical cannabis flower in clinics, hospitals, and pharmacies. Currently, medical cannabis is only available in the form of its derivative products. No progress has been made on this front since October of last year.

Now, the wait appears to be finally over. According to El Tiempo, the Colombian government has drafted a decree that would allow the domestic trade of medical cannabis flower with prescriptions.

While the decree has not yet been published, it has been discussed in the media by various Colombian figures, including Congressman Juan Carlos Lozada. In an interview with El Tiempo, the lawmaker who supports the bill said that while the move is positive, it comes too late.

"It should have been announced within the first year of the government," the MP said. "The details of this new decree are still up in the air and could take another six months or a year or more. In that sense, they will likely need to be implemented over the next four years, which obviously leaves a legacy of uncertainty. Because within that timeframe, the proposed regulations could fall into the hands of the next government. It remains a mystery."

Colombia legalizes sale of medicinal cannabis flower

Contents of the decree

Colombian patients will be able to obtain unprocessed medicinal cannabis flower with a doctor's prescription under new regulations. The decree amends the concept of "finished product" to a broader definition, classifying cannabis plants as those suitable for "human or veterinary use" with prior authorization.

One of the most innovative measures in the proposal is a 1% THC limit for domestic trade. Most countries globally set a THC limit of 0.3%, the dividing line between industrial hemp and psychoactive cannabis. Currently, in Colombia, cannabis-based pharmaceuticals with THC content exceeding 1% are classified as "specially controlled."

Likewise, the scope of cultivation licenses for domestic and foreign markets is being expanded to include “the import or acquisition by any means of seeds for germplasm, sowing, harvesting, post-harvest storage, marketing, transportation, distribution and final disposal,” according to El Tiempo.

However, during the first two years after the decree was signed, only micro, small and medium-sized growers holding licenses issued by the Ministry of Justice and the National Narcotics Fund will be allowed to cultivate the crop.

All in all, this initiative represents progress and hope not only for the country's national industry, which is forced to compete on the international market, but also for the thousands of patients who have not been allowed to enjoy products harvested on their own land until now.

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