Colombia Is Moving Toward Legalizing Cannabis For Recreational Use

The report of the legislative act legalizing cannabis for adult use in Colombia was approved by the first commission. However, a public hearing was scheduled for this Monday, November 21st, to ensure a more thorough debate of the initiative. As a result, the vote on the articles was held on Tuesday, November 22nd. Fighting drugs is one of the goals.

The third debate on the proposed constitutional amendment that would allow for the recreational use of cannabis in Colombia was formally opened by the First Commission of the Colombian Senate. It is important to keep in mind that the initiative intends to amend “article 49 of the Political Constitution of Colombia, regularizes cannabis for adult use and other requirements are released.” Mara José Pizarro, a senator for the Historical Pact, is the initiative’s rapporteur and co-author.

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The first commission endorsed the legislative act’s report and legalized cannabis for adult use nationwide.

The congresswoman outlined the four criteria by which Colombian cannabis for recreational use is advocated during the report’s presentation. In addition to the advancements in the medical and scientific fields regarding the use of this psychoactive substance, the fight against drugs, the “historic legal framework that has been in the country,” and the economic benefits and job creation that would be realized with legalization are among them.

“Cannabis has been shown to have substantially less negative consequences on public health. The advantages hemp possesses in terms of medicine, as well as other types of uses like using hemp to make fabrics and cosmetics that are presently available in the majority of our country’s supermarkets, have not received enough investigation. The senator for the Historical Pact stated that it is far more damaging to one’s health than drinking alcohol or smoking.

These justifications led the first panel to support the legislative act that would have made cannabis legal for adult use throughout the nation. However, a public hearing was scheduled for this Monday, November 21st, to ensure a more thorough debate of the proposal. As a result, the vote on the articles was held on Tuesday, November 22.

Senator Carlos Fernando Motoa of the Cambio Radical Party requested the public hearing, stating that in order for the lawmakers to vote on the articles correctly, they must be aware of all “the notions that are in the file.”

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The importance of the public hearing, according to his colleague Jorge Benedetti, is based on “the idea of offering a larger discussion to this effort and calling the civil society to listen to their impressions on the topic.”

Paloma Valencia and Mara Fernanda Cabal, senators from the Democratic Center Party, offered two motions of filing during the report of the legislative act legalizing cannabis for adult use, using justifications like how marijuana impairs cognitive function.

Senator Cabal declared that she “but not over children” protects the rights of every individual. Congresswoman Valencia responded by saying, “It is not true that legalizing will put an end to unlawful markets. In the end, the illegal market will profit from the routes that are open to it. Cocaine trafficking is the main issue in Colombia.

Even though it was determined that the public hearing will be open to all, the First Commission rejected the requests to file and postpone in order to vote on the articles.