{"id":58404,"date":"2022-11-22T11:31:14","date_gmt":"2022-11-22T19:31:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/11\/22\/colombian-senators-approve-marijuana-legalization-bill\/"},"modified":"2022-11-22T17:45:43","modified_gmt":"2022-11-23T01:45:43","slug":"colombian-senators-approve-marijuana-legalization-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/11\/22\/colombian-senators-approve-marijuana-legalization-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"Colombian Senators Approve Marijuana Legalization Bill"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

A bill to legalize marijuana in Colombia has been approved in a Senate committee for the first time, weeks after it also advanced in the country\u2019s Chamber of Representatives.<\/p>\n

Lawmakers have met several times in recent weeks to debate the reform proposal, which would amend the country\u2019s Constitution to end cannabis prohibition for adults.<\/p>\n

It passed the First Committee of the Senate on Tuesday by a vote of 11-4, though there are still more legislative steps that must be taken before it\u2019s potentially enacted into law.<\/p>\n

\n

\"🚨\"Seguimos avanzando en el cambio de paradigma sobre la pol\u00edtica de drogas. <\/p>\n

Por primera vez nuestro proyecto para regular el #CannabisDeUsoAdulto<\/a> avanza en Senado. <\/p>\n

Con el liderazgo de @PizarroMariaJo<\/a> hoy la @PrimeraSenado<\/a> lo aprob\u00f3 en tercer debate.<\/p>\n

Es #HoraDeRegular<\/a> \"💪🏼\" pic.twitter.com\/xqSdnWRjAd<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Juan Carlos Losada (@JuanKarloslos) November 22, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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\u201cWe continue to advance in the paradigm shift on drug policy,\u201d Rep. Juan Carlos Losada, the bill\u2019s sponsor, said following the vote, according to a translation.<\/p>\n

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#Comisi\u00f3nI<\/a> | \"📃\"\"✅\" | Fue APROBADO en primer debate el PAL No. 033\/2022 Senado \u2013 002\/2022 C\u00e1mara, por medio del cual se modifica el art\u00edculo 49 de la Constituci\u00f3n Pol\u00edtica de Colombia, se regulariza el cannabis de uso adulto.<\/p>\n

Finaliza sesi\u00f3n y se cita para ma\u00f1ana a las 10:00 a.m. pic.twitter.com\/zDvuayAVXj<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Senado de la Rep\u00fablica \"🇨🇴\" (@SenadoGovCo) November 22, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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At a public hearing in the Senate panel on Monday<\/a>, Justice Minister N\u00e9stor Osuna said that Colombia 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<\/p>\n

\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

\n

Atenci\u00f3n! <\/p>\n

Acabamos de aprobar en la Comisi\u00f3n @PrimeraSenado<\/a> el acto legislativo que busca regularizar el #CannabisDeUsoAdulto<\/a>. Por primera vez esta iniciativa pasa a 4to debate. Colombia avanza en una nueva pol\u00edtica de drogas. #EsHoraDeRegular<\/a> @JuanKarloslos<\/a> <\/p>\n

\"🗳\"S\u00ed 11
\"🗳\"No 4 pic.twitter.com\/5YKQSkrSHQ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Mar\u00eda Jos\u00e9 Pizarro Rodr\u00edguez (@PizarroMariaJo) November 22, 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

\n

Sigue el debate sobre la regularizaci\u00f3n del #CannabisDeUsoAdulto<\/a> en la Comisi\u00f3n @PrimeraSenado<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/BKC2u38kWO<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Mar\u00eda Jos\u00e9 Pizarro Rodr\u00edguez (@PizarroMariaJo) November 22, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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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\u00a0bill<\/a>\u00a0would 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

\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

The Colombian Chamber of Representatives\u00a0gave initial approval to a legalization bill<\/a> 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\u00a0advanced this measure and a separate legalization bill<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The justice minister also\u00a0discussed<\/a>\u00a0legislative legalization efforts at an\u00a0event<\/a>\u00a0focused 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\u00a0delivered 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\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>\u00a0in 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\u00a0returned 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

\n

Biden Cheers Oregon For \u2018Following\u2019 His Lead With Marijuana Pardons<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

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

The post Colombian Senators Approve Marijuana Legalization Bill<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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A bill to legalize marijuana in Colombia has been approved in a Senate committee for the first time, weeks after it also advanced in the country\u2019s Chamber of Representatives. Lawmakers have met several times in recent weeks to debate the reform proposal, which would amend the country\u2019s Constitution to endContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":58405,"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\/58404"}],"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=58404"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58404\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58406,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58404\/revisions\/58406"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}