Colombia, the Cocaine Capital of the World, Just Legalized Medical Marijuana Kunal Anand - India Times
go to original December 23, 2015

Colombia Legalizes Medical Marijuana (TheLipTV)

For a nation plagued by both a reputation and an affinity for cocaine, Colombia has taken the bold step of legalizing and regulating medical marijuana. President Juan Manuel Santos signed a decree and announced on national television that Colombians can now legally grow, process, import and export cannabis "for medical and scientific use", AFP reported.

"This decree allows licenses to be granted for the possession of seeds, cannabis plants, and marijuana," he said from the presidential palace. "It places Colombia in the group of countries that are at the forefront... in the use of natural resources to fight disease."

Colombia's government has long been a close ally of the United States in fighting international drug trafficking, using its military and billions of dollars in US funding to try to shed its title as the world's largest cocaine producer. But it has shown signs of easing its hard-line stance in recent months. Recently Colombia has also decided to stop aerially spraying the herbicide glyphosate on fields of coca, the raw ingredient for cocaine. The World Health Organization warned in April that the chemical, sold by US biotech company Monsanto under the brand name Roundup, is "probably carcinogenic."

However, Santos also announced this year that Colombia would give land to farmers who stop growing coca.

It was authorized under a 1986 law, but the lack of regulation prevented production on a national level. "The manufacture, export, sale, and medical and scientific use of this and other substances have been permitted for several decades in Colombia. However, they were never regulated. That is what we are doing today," Santos said.

Under the decree, growers will apply for licenses from the National Narcotics Council while those seeking to manufacture cannabis-based drugs will apply for permits from the health ministry. The health ministry will also grant permits to export such drugs to countries where they are legal. "Our goal is for patients to be able to access medications made in Colombia that are safe, high-quality and accessible. It is also an opportunity to promote scientific research in our country," Santos said.

Read the rest at India Times

Here is the map of where medical marijuana is legal - and where it isn't. The darkest shade of blue = its completely legal. (Wikipedia)

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