Colombian President Criticizes Congress for Not Legalizing Cannabis

The Colombia is one of the Latin American countries with the most ups and downs in the discussion about cannabis regulation. The topic has been debated eight times in Congress, but with no concrete results.

Last week, the First Commission of the House of Representatives approved a constitutional reform bill that would allow adult use of cannabis. However, this was only the first of eight necessary steps, and the process is viewed with more caution than hope.

Frustration with Congress

The slow pace of the legislative process has caused frustration among users, patients, and even President Gustavo Petro. On Tuesday (26), he again criticized Congress's inaction regarding cannabis regulation.

Recently, security forces seized more than eight tons of illegal marijuana in La Plata, Huila — one of the largest operations in recent years. The incident reinforced the debate about the impact of prohibition on the strengthening of trafficking.

For Petro, legalization is the most effective way to combat cartel violence. In a recent post, he stated that, “if Congress had legalized cannabis, we wouldn’t have gangs of traffickers unnecessarily killing poor Colombians. More Catholic than the Pope, cannabis is legal in most of the world, and the United Nations has deemed it harmless to human health.”

This is not the first time the Colombian president has taken a stand. In 2023, he had already stated that “revoking the cannabis legalization law only increases drug trafficking profits and its violence”. Petro also criticized U.S. policies and spoke out against the so-called War on Drugs, advocating for alternatives centered on human rights.

Political Obstacles

Despite presidential pressure, legislative leadership seems resistant to change. While Petro tries to strengthen the debate with arguments and evidence, Congress maintains a stance of ignoring regulation proposals.

For the president, insistence on the prohibitionist model only strengthens organized crime. Experts believe that cannabis legalization would be one of the most effective ways to protect the population and reduce violence.
 

With information from El Planteo