{"id":58302,"date":"2022-11-21T13:53:46","date_gmt":"2022-11-21T21:53:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/11\/21\/top-colombian-official-reaffirms-governments-support-for-marijuana-legalization-bill-scheduled-for-senate-vote-this-week\/"},"modified":"2022-11-21T17:45:43","modified_gmt":"2022-11-22T01:45:43","slug":"top-colombian-official-reaffirms-governments-support-for-marijuana-legalization-bill-scheduled-for-senate-vote-this-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/11\/21\/top-colombian-official-reaffirms-governments-support-for-marijuana-legalization-bill-scheduled-for-senate-vote-this-week\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Colombian Official Reaffirms Government\u2019s Support For Marijuana Legalization Bill Scheduled For Senate Vote This Week"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A top Colombian official reiterated on Monday that the government supports a bill to amend the country\u2019s Constitution to legalize marijuana\u2014a proposal that\u2019s been advancing in the legislature and is expected to receive a Senate vote on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

At a public hearing on Monday, Justice Minister N\u00e9stor Osuna said that the country has been the victim of \u201ca failed war that was designed 50 years ago and, due to absurd prohibitionism, has brought us a lot of blood, armed conflict, mafias and crime,\u201d according to a translation.<\/p>\n

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#Comisi\u00f3nI<\/a> | \u201cLa estrategia prohibicionista no ha logrado detener el consumo, ni detener el comercio, lo que ha logrado es sembrar esos entornos de ilegalidad. Es mucho mejor regular el uso responsable\u201d, @MinjusticiaCo<\/a>, N\u00e9stor Osuna.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Senado de la Rep\u00fablica \"🇨🇴\" (@SenadoGovCo) November 21, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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\u201cThe national government supports this draft legislative act for the adult use of cannabis,\u201d he said. \u201cWe believe that it is very important that this step be taken towards a responsible market\u2014a responsible regulation that allows us to overcome this prohibitionist atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n

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El Gobierno nacional apoya este proyecto de acto legislativo de uso adulto del cannabis. Consideramos que es muy importante que se d\u00e9 ese paso hacia un mercado y regulaci\u00f3n responsable para ir superando esa atm\u00f3sfera prohibicionista que ha acompa\u00f1ado el cannabis: @osunanestor<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/OoOKbvXRrp<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 MinJusticia Colombia (@MinjusticiaCo) November 21, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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The proposed constitutional amendment contemplates the public health and economic impacts of legalization, as well as the ideological principle of individual autonomy. If enacted, officials would have six months to promulgate rules for the adult-use market.<\/p>\n

A supplementary legislative analysis provides background on the history of cannabis policy in Colombia, while also describing reform developments in other countries such as Mexico and the United States.<\/p>\n

The legalization bill<\/a> would support \u201cthe right of the free development of the personality, allowing citizens to decide on the consumption of cannabis in a regulated legal framework,\u201d it says. And it would mitigate \u201carbitrary discriminatory or unequal treatment in front of the population that consumes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bill will restrict possession and public consumption at schools and certain public spaces. It also calls for public education campaigns and the promotion of substance misuse treatment services.<\/p>\n

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Fue aprobado en Comisi\u00f3n @PrimeraSenado<\/a> nuestro informe de ponencia del acto legislativo para regularizar el #CannabisDeUsoAdulto<\/a>. La votaci\u00f3n del articulado se dar\u00e1 el martes luego de Audiencia P\u00fablica. @JuanKarloslos<\/a> #EsHoraDeRegular<\/a>! pic.twitter.com\/v6aiZJJOwS<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Mar\u00eda Jos\u00e9 Pizarro Rodr\u00edguez (@PizarroMariaJo) November 16, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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The Colombian Chamber of Representatives gave initial approval to a legalization bill<\/a> from Rep. Juan Carlos Losada last month. In addition to Osuna, the head of the Interior Ministry also spoke in favor of the reform proposal at the time. That vote came shortly after a congressional committee advanced this measure and a separate legalization bill<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Now the First Committee of the Senate is taking up its version of the reform proposal, including at Monday\u2019s hearing.<\/p>\n

There have been several debates on the measure in the committee, including last week.<\/p>\n

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Con el liderazgo de @PizarroMariaJo<\/a> en la @PrimeraSenado<\/a> inicia Audiencia P\u00fablica sobre nuestro proyecto de #CannabisDeUsoAdulto<\/a>, para escuchar aportes y visiones de entidades del Gobierno, la industria y la sociedad civil. #EsHoraDeRegular<\/a><\/p>\n

Con\u00e9ctate \"👉🏼\" https:\/\/t.co\/ZOgsw2pZkM<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/2bs5iuotcz<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Juan Carlos Losada (@JuanKarloslos) November 21, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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A vote on the legalization bill is expected to happen in the Senate panel on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

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LA MESA DIRECTIVA DE LA COMISI\u00d3N PRIMERA, INFORMA:<\/p>\n

Que se realizar\u00e1 #Sesi\u00f3nOrdinariaPresencial<\/a>, para discutir los Proyectos establecidos en el orden del d\u00eda.<\/p>\n

\"✅\" D\u00eda: Martes 22 de noviembre.
\"✅\" Hora: 10:00 am.
\"✅\"Canal de YouTube de la Comisi\u00f3n I. pic.twitter.com\/D3MSSJ0cYJ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Comisi\u00f3n Primera Senado (@PrimeraSenado) November 21, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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\u201cThe fight against drugs has been an absolute failure,\u201d Sen. Mar\u00eda Jos\u00e9 Pizarro Rodr\u00edguez said last week. \u201cAfter 50 years, consumption has not diminished and, on the contrary, the mafias have strengthened, democracy has been distorted and we have lost thousands of lives in the midst of this war.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Se estima que Colombia ha perdido alrededor de 16 mil millones de d\u00f3lares (casi 80 billones) en esta guerra. Se ha evidenciado la facilidad con que los dineros del tr\u00e1fico de drogas (engordados por la propia prohibici\u00f3n) penetran todas las esferas del Estado.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Mar\u00eda Jos\u00e9 Pizarro Rodr\u00edguez (@PizarroMariaJo) November 16, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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The justice minister also discussed<\/a> legislative legalization efforts at an event<\/a> focused on cannabis reform on Saturday, emphasizing the need to enact a policy change the promotes economic growth and public health.<\/p>\n

As lawmakers move to approve the reform bill, Osuna said that government agencies will be working to facilitate a \u201cfaster, less difficult\u201d licensure process.<\/p>\n

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

In September, the president delivered a speech 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

Petro also recently talked about\u00a0the 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

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

U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), who chairs the House Rules Committee,\u00a0cheered 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

President Joe Biden, on the other hand, seems intent on perpetuating the drug war in Colombia, with U.S. military support. He released a\u00a0 memorandum<\/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 last month that the U.S. 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. In an editorial published before he left office, he criticized the United Nations and U.S. 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

Meanwhile, a U.S. congressional delegation returned from a visit to Colombia last month<\/a>, and a congressman who was part of the trip told Marijuana Moment that one theme of his discussions with officials in the country was that the world has \u201clost the war on drugs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read the translated text<\/a> of the proposed marijuana legalization constitutional amendment below:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Congressional Researchers Lay Out Six Key Limitations Of Biden\u2019s Marijuana Pardons<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Image element courtesy of Bryan Pocius.<\/p>\n

The post Top Colombian Official Reaffirms Government\u2019s Support For Marijuana Legalization Bill Scheduled For Senate Vote This Week<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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A top Colombian official reiterated on Monday that the government supports a bill to amend the country\u2019s Constitution to legalize marijuana\u2014a proposal that\u2019s been advancing in the legislature and is expected to receive a Senate vote on Tuesday. At a public hearing on Monday, Justice Minister N\u00e9stor Osuna said thatContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":58303,"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\/58302"}],"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=58302"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58302\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58304,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58302\/revisions\/58304"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}