Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos signed a decree Tuesday that fully legalizes the use of marijuana for medical purposes.
Even though the medical community is supportive of this initiative, many in the security community remain concerned about the country’s problem with cocaine production. Armed rebels in Colombia that cultivate marijuana also cultivate cocaine.
By legalizing medical marijuana, President Santos hopes to take away a revenue stream for illegal drug traffickers. According to President Santos, legalizing marijuana for medical purposes, “places Colombia in the group of countries that are at the forefront … in the use of natural resources to fight disease.”
Despite this historic advance in recognizing the medical benefits of marijuana use as identified in June by The Journal of the American Medical Association, Colombia has much progress to make in eradicating cocaine use.
Colombia is the number one cocaine producing country in the world, and Peru is a close second. The U.S. is the world’s largest cocaine market. Unlike marijuana, there are no documented cases of cocaine being in any way medically beneficial for people.
The Colombian government is currently in negotiations with the armed rebel group known as FARC. The two sides have been at war with one another for 51 years, and FARC uses cocaine trafficking to fund their war against the Colombian people.
Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia allow medical marijuana use in the US.
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