Colombian Senate rejects cannabis legalization bill

On June 20, the Senate in Colombia officially rejected a measure that would have allowed the sale of recreational cannabis. By a vote of 43 to 47, the bill did not pass the necessary 54 votes that would have allowed it to pass its eighth and final debate.

According to Senator Juan Carlos Losada, progress on this bill does not mean the end of discussions about legalizing adult use. “I don’t consider that a defeat; “We have taken a big step, for four years we have put such a controversial issue at the top of the public agenda and debate,” Losada said. “Leaving a continued legal substance in the hands of drug traffickers and drug dealers is harmful to Colombia’s children and harmful to the country’s democracy.”

A report from La Prensa Latina explained that the eighth debate originally started on June 15, but Senate President Alexander Lopez adjourned the session due to a “verbal confrontation” between Senator Inti Asprilla (a supporter of the bill) and Senator Jota Pe Hernandez ( who opposed it). Debates resumed on June 19, but the vote was again postponed due to the absence of senators. The vote then took place on June 20, shortly before the end of the legislative period.

Former President Álvaro Uribe passed Legislative Law (No. 2) in 2009, amending Article 49 of the Constitution. Under “Drugs, Alcohol and Illegal Substances” it states: “Possession and use of narcotics and psychoactive drugs is prohibited except as directed by a doctor.”

Since the passage of this constitutional amendment, several attempts have been made to expand access to cannabis and push through legalization. To change the Colombian constitution, a law must be passed in four debates in the Senate and four debates in the House of Representatives. After that, the bill would be sent to the President’s desk.

However, since the cannabis legalization bill was not passed in this debate, lawmakers will have to start over at the next attempt. This is the first time that a cannabis legalization initiative has reached the eighth debate session.

Proponents of legalization expressed enthusiasm as the possibility of legalization increased. In May, the House of Representatives passed the bill for its sixth debate. Rep. Losada tweeted about the event. “#HISTÓRICO accepted our project #CannabisDeUsoAdulto in the 6th debate with 98 votes. Today @CamaraColombia It shows that we are a country looking to transform failed prohibitionist drug policies into ones based on prevention and public health,” Lasada wrote.

Earlier this month, on June 6, the Senate passed the bill for its seventh debate.

After the bill was rejected during the eighth debate, Losada wrote on Twitter that efforts are far from over. “We are sad but convinced that we gave everything until the end. We never thought we would go this far,” he said. “Today we have majorities, 7 votes were missing. We have been in this fight for four years and we will not give up to make a new history in the fight against drugs. Thank you very much!”

Other supporters such as Senator María José Pizarro also remain optimistic. “We will continue to defend the regulation of #CannabisDeUsoAdulto out of conviction; because the communities of our country have a different chance of violence and a job in legality. So that children and young people are not at the mercy of Colombia’s mafias and jibaros, we will be at the forefront of #EsHoraDeRegular. @JuanKarloslos gracias!” Pizzaro wrote on Twitter.

In 2016, Colombia legalized the production, sale, and export of medicinal cannabis. In July 2021, former Colombian President Ivan Duque approved efforts for the legal sale and export of dried cannabis flower around the world.