Colombian Congress Takes Step Forward: Legalisation of Medical Cannabis Is Approved

Failure of the first attempt to pass the pioneering draft bill that regulates the use of medical cannabis was the result of absenteeism. Having been presented before the Chamber of Representatives, following the last debates and the opposition of conservative groups, the measure ended up lacking just three of the 84 votes needed for it to be passed. An initiative by the liberal senator Juan Manuel Galán, in the first round a total of 81 votes in favour of the measure were amassed and there was only one against it. Following that, the debate was opened again and finally, the measure obtained the votes needed to legalise the use of medical cannabis in the country.

Given that the texts approved by the Senate and the Chamber present some differences, the bill will now have to go through a conciliation process that makes the law ready to continue to be processed towards the presidency, a crucial requirement in order for it to be fully valid.

The measure responds to the needs of citizens that require alternative treatments in order to face up to their illnesses. Among the rights enshrined in it, the law will allow the growth, acquisition, distribution and use of the plant, its derivatives, and any product with a cannabis process that is used for medical and scientific purposes.

Día histórico. Plenaria @CamaraColombia aprueba en último debate Pl #CannabisMedicinal con 84 votos positivos. Hoy ganaron los pacientes.

— Juan Manuel Galán (@juanmanuelgalan) 25 de mayo de 2016

The regulation will be left in the hands of Health, Justice and Agriculture Ministries, and over the next few months they will agree on the mechanisms for granting licenses. The Ministry of Health has outlined that the use of medical cannabis is a good alternative for treating different illnesses and ailments, such as spasms caused by multiple sclerosis, arthritis, epilepsy and paroxysmal pains.

The bill has also stated that, in the case of patients who are minors, it will be the parents and legal guardians, guided by doctors, who are the people that decide whether or not to authorise to use these alternative treatments. Finally, it has been stipulated that from now on, the State will be responsible for “supporting economic initiatives to produce, transform, and distribute products that derive from the cannabis plant”.

The path has now been left open in Colombia for medical cannabis to have full legal recognition. The country is thus positioned like others in the region such as Chile and Uruguay, who also decided to opt for the benefits that the plant can provide to patients.