{"id":57432,"date":"2022-10-12T08:36:04","date_gmt":"2022-10-12T16:36:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/10\/12\/colombian-chamber-of-representatives-passes-marijuana-legalization-bill-in-initial-vote-with-support-from-cabinet-ministers\/"},"modified":"2022-10-12T19:46:33","modified_gmt":"2022-10-13T03:46:33","slug":"colombian-chamber-of-representatives-passes-marijuana-legalization-bill-in-initial-vote-with-support-from-cabinet-ministers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/10\/12\/colombian-chamber-of-representatives-passes-marijuana-legalization-bill-in-initial-vote-with-support-from-cabinet-ministers\/","title":{"rendered":"Colombian Chamber Of Representatives Passes Marijuana Legalization Bill In Initial Vote, With Support From Cabinet Ministers"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

A bill to legalize marijuana in Colombia earned initial approval by the country\u2019s Chamber of Representatives on Tuesday, though it must still advance through additional debates before potentially being enacted into law.<\/p>\n

The legislation from Rep. Juan Carlos Losada, which would legalize cannabis for adults 18 and older, passed in the second debate in a 105-33 vote. It needs to go through a total of eight debates in order to be sent to the Senate and then the president\u2019s desk.<\/p>\n

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Es #HoraDeRegular<\/a> Inicia en Plenaria @CamaraColombia<\/a> la discusi\u00f3n y votaci\u00f3n de nuestro proyecto que regula el #CannabisDeUsoAdulto<\/a>.
Confiamos que este Congreso m\u00e1s progresista y liberal lo aprobar\u00e1 para as\u00ed avanzar hacia un cambio en la pol\u00edtica de drogas. pic.twitter.com\/hEJNO7FrRP<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Juan Carlos Losada (@JuanKarloslos) October 11, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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President Gustavo Petro, a progressive who has been strongly advocating for an international end to drug criminalization since being inaugurated in August, has discussed the possible benefits of cannabis legalization.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, administration officials including the heads of the Justice Ministry and Interior Ministry spoke in favor of the legalization proposal before lawmakers.<\/p>\n

Justice Minister N\u00e9stor Osuna said<\/a> that what the current policy of prohibition \u201censures is that the income goes to the mafias and does not go through the public treasury,\u201d according to a translation. It also \u201cdoes not solve the problems of problematic consumption.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

La prohibici\u00f3n del uso del cannabis nunca ha impedido su consumo. En todos los pa\u00edses del mundo en los que esta prohibido el consumo, el porte, la fabricaci\u00f3n y la compra del cannabis de todas maneras existe, as\u00ed que se trata de una prohibici\u00f3n in\u00fatil: @osunanestor<\/a> @MinjusticiaCo<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/T3B03JfvQa<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 MinJusticia Colombia (@MinjusticiaCo) October 11, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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\u201cThis is a government of change\u2014and that change [includes] a new drug policy that eliminates the drug gangs [and] the penalization of the cultivation,\u201d the official said.<\/p>\n

Losada referenced recent comments that the president delivered at a meeting of the United Nations (UN)<\/a>, urging member nations to fundamentally change their approaches to drug policy and disband with prohibition.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf there is a country that has been a victim of this failed war on drugs, it is Colombia,\u201d the lawmaker said.<\/p>\n

The floor vote comes shortly after a congressional committee advanced this measure and a separate legalization bill<\/a> from Rep. Carlos Ardila that includes provisions to distribute tax revenue from cannabis sales to individual government municipalities.<\/p>\n

\n

#EsHoraDeRegular<\/a> | Gracias a @JuanKarloslos<\/a> por promover la regulaci\u00f3n del #CannabisDeUsoAdulto<\/a> y apoyar nuestra propuesta para que los municipios y departamentos se beneficien con los recursos que se recauden por el uso de #marihuana<\/a> . pic.twitter.com\/5V9LM5nXvM<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 CARLOS ARDILA \"🚩\" (@CARLOSARDILA10) October 11, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Ardila, who is also cosponsoring Losada\u2019s bill, said that it\u2019s \u201cnot unreasonable that what is collected from cannabis for adult use is destined solely and exclusively to municipalities, districts and departments because they are the ones that address\u201d issues like public health and safety.<\/p>\n

Losada, for his part, said that he supports Ardila\u2019s proposal.<\/p>\n

Another lawmaker got some attention at the debate on Tuesday by admitting that he\u2019s personally used cannabis for 25 years.<\/p>\n

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#Video<\/a> \"📹\" En medio del debate en la C\u00e1mara de Representante sobre la regulaci\u00f3n de cannabis, el representante @davalho<\/a> confes\u00f3 que fuma marihuana hace 25 a\u00f1os. <\/p>\n

\"🗣\"“Lo que mata es la estigmatizaci\u00f3n, la ilegalidad y la falta de informaci\u00f3n”, asegur\u00f3. <\/p>\n

\"👉\"https:\/\/t.co\/alre1DIWOk<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/k2wbHj0zpK<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 RTVC Noticias (@RTVCnoticias) October 11, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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\u201cWhat kills is stigmatization, illegality and lack of information,\u201d Rep. Daniel Carvalho said.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t appear that the president has explicitly endorsed either legalization bill that\u2019s advanced in recent weeks, but the statements from Cabinet officials indicates that the reform has the administration\u2019s support.<\/p>\n

As the sponsor pointed out, Petro told members of the UN\u00a0last month that \u201cdemocracy will die\u201d if global powers don\u2019t unite to end prohibition and adopt a different approach, with millions of lives on the line under the current regime.<\/p>\n

The president said in a separate interview last month that the US and other countries will enable a \u201cgenocide\u201d of avoidable overdose deaths if leaders maintain the status quo of criminalization.<\/p>\n

Petro also recently talked about the prospects of legalizing marijuana in Colombia<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0as one means of reducing the influence of the illicit market.\u00a0And he signaled that the policy change should be followed by releasing people who are currently in prison over cannabis.<\/p>\n

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En plenaria de @CamaraColombia<\/a> se aprueba en segundo debate el proyecto que regula el cannabis de uso adulto.<\/p>\n

Esta es la forma de dar el primer paso para el cambio en la Pol\u00edtica de Drogas, y garantizar el respeto a las libertades en \"🇨🇴\". #EsHoraDeRegular<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/pEbKY2BZfd<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 MinInterior Colombia (@MinInterior) October 12, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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He spoke about the economic potential of a legal cannabis industry, one where small towns in places like the Andes, Corinto and Miranda could stand to benefit from legal marijuana cultivation, possibly without any licensing requirements.<\/p>\n

The president also signaled that he\u2019d be interested in exploring the idea of \u200b\u200bexporting cannabis to other countries where the plant is legal.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, in the Colombian Senate, a lawmaker is championing another legalization bill.<\/p>\n

Sen.\u00a0Gustavo Bol\u00edvar introduced the measure in July, and he said that the reform is within reach now that the country\u2019s Congress has a liberal majority of lawmakers who fit within a political coalition known as the Historic Pact.<\/p>\n

U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), who chairs the House Rules Committee, cheered the official swearing in of Petro<\/a>\u00a0, saying that he looks forward to \u201cworking together to\u2026rethink drug policy, and much more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014
\nMarijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,500 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills<\/a> in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters<\/a> pledging at least $25\/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don\u2019t miss any developments.<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/a>
\nLearn more about our marijuana bill tracker<\/a> and become a supporter on Patreon<\/a> to get access.
\n\u2014<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

President Joe Biden, on the other hand, seems intent on perpetuating the drug war in Colombia, with US military support.\u00a0He released a\u00a0\u00a0memorandum<\/a>\u00a0to the defense secretary in August that authorizes the \u201cinterdiction of aircraft reasonably suspected to be primarily engaged in illicit drug trafficking in that country\u2019s airspace.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said that it\u2019s \u201cnecessary because of the extraordinary threat posed by illicit drug trafficking to the national security of that country\u201d and because \u201cColombia has appropriate procedures in place to protect against innocent loss of life in the air and on the ground in connection with such interdiction, which includes effective means to identify and warn an aircraft before the use of force is directed against the aircraft.\u201d<\/p>\n

That said, Secretary of State Antony Blinken\u00a0said<\/a> in a joint appearance with Petro earlier this month that the US generally backs his \u201cholistic approach\u201d to drugs. The Colombian president, for his part, said that countries need to \u201cview the war on drugs differently.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a former member of Colombia\u2019s M-19 guerrilla group, Petro has seen the violent conflict between guerrilla fighters, narcoparamilitary groups and drug cartels that has been exacerbated by the government\u2019s aggressive approach to drug enforcement.<\/p>\n

According to the United Nations Office of Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), Colombia remains a chief exporter of cocaine,\u00a0\u00a0despite\u00a0\u00a0\u201cdrug supply reduction activities in Colombia, such as eradication of coca bush and destruction of laboratories.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2020, Colombian legislators introduced a bill that would have regulated coca, the plant that is processed to produce cocaine, in an acknowledgment that the government\u2019s decades-long fight against the drug and its procedures have consistently failed.\u00a0That legislation cleared a committee, but it was ultimately shelved by the overall conservative legislature.<\/p>\n

Advocates are optimistic that such a proposal could advance under the Petro administration. The president hasn\u2019t taken a clear stance on the legislation itself, but he campaigned on legalizing marijuana and promoted the idea of \u200b\u200bcannabis as an alternative to cocaine.<\/p>\n

Former Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos has also been critical of the drug war and embraced reform.\u00a0In an editorial published before he left office, he criticized the United Nations and US President Richard Nixon for their role in setting a drug war standard that has proven ineffective at best and counterproductive at worst.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is time we talk about responsible government regulation, look for ways to cut off the drug mafias\u2019 air supply, and tackle the problems of drug use with greater resources for prevention, care and harm reduction with regard to public health and the social fabric ,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis reflection must be global in scope in order to be effective,\u201d Santos, who is a member of the pro-reform Global Commission on Drug Policy, said.\u00a0\u201cIt must also be broad, including participation not only of governments but also of academia and civil society.\u00a0It must reach beyond law enforcement and judicial authorities and involve experts in public health, economists and educators, among other disciplines.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Cannabis Company And Major League Baseball Sign Deal For Charlotte\u2019s Web To Be \u2018Official CBD of MLB\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Photo courtesy of Brian Shamblen<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post Colombian Chamber Of Representatives Passes Marijuana Legalization Bill In Initial Vote, With Support From Cabinet Ministers<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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A bill to legalize marijuana in Colombia earned initial approval by the country\u2019s Chamber of Representatives on Tuesday, though it must still advance through additional debates before potentially being enacted into law. The legislation from Rep. Juan Carlos Losada, which would legalize cannabis for adults 18 and older, passed inContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":57433,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57432"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57432"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57432\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57434,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57432\/revisions\/57434"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}