It's Final: Colombian Senate Rejects Bill To Legalize Recreational Marijuana

Colombia's Senate rejected a bill on Tuesday that would decriminalize the sale of recreational cannabis. The constitutional reform bill received 43 votes against and 47 in favor, thereby falling short of the 54 required for it to be passed. The voting occurred just one hour before the current legislative session adjourned.

“I don’t consider this a defeat; we have taken a giant step, four years of putting such a controversial issue at the top of the public agenda, of the public debate,” said Liberal Party Senator Juan Carlos Losada, who presented the bill, per La Prensa Latina.

“Continuing to leave a substance that is legal in the hands of the drug traffickers and drug dealers is detrimental to the children of Colombia and detrimental to the country’s democracy,” Losada said, adding the bill would be presented again in the next legislative session.

The rejection comes a few weeks after the Senate First Committee approved the measure in a 15-4 vote, providing the measure with seven of eight votes needed for the proposed constitutional amendment to reach the president. This led many industry experts to believe that Colombia was on the verge of legalizing adult-use marijuana, but the Senate floor decided differently on Tuesday.

Medical marijuana has been legal in Colombia since 2016. What’s more, carrying up to 20 grams of cannabis and cultivating up to 20 plants for personal use has been legal since 1986. However, some lawmakers like Losada were aiming for broader reform.

The proposed measure would have supported the individual’s decision to consume marijuana in a regulated legal framework and would mitigate the unequal treatment of cannabis users. Furthermore, under the bill, public possession and consumption in schools and some public spaces would be forbidden, while public education campaigns and the promotion of substance abuse treatment services would be advanced.

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