A decree that will legalize medical marijuana in Columbia was signed Tuesday by President Juan Manuel Santos, according to Yahoo News.
Columbia, along with the rest of the world, has been battling illegal drug use for years. It is famous for producing the world’s cheapest and finest cocaine. The government hopes that this change will help keep those drugs off the streets.
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Allowing the government to detract from low-level drug cases will give the country more resources to eliminate harder drugs.
Santos made a nationwide announcement, explaining to his citizens the ramifications of this new decree.
“This decree allows licenses to be granted for the possession of seeds, cannabis plants and marijuana,” Santos said on national television.
Those who are licensed will be able to import, export, grow, cultivate, process and sell medical marijuana legally.
In September, Santos announced that those who stop growing coca, a natural ingredient in cocaine, will be given free land from the government. This was followed by a decision to stop using planes to spray coca fields with herbicide glyphosate.
This was a tactic that the country previously took to decrease cocaine production rate. By killing the plant, these farmers were limited. To learn more about Columbia, and challenges its government faces while fighting a war on drugs, check out the full article.
