The coffee nation is one of the 23 states in the world with legislation on medicinal cannabis

Leer en español: Colombia: ¿El cannabis como oportunidad social y económica?

The Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), of the United Nations Organization (UN), celebrated its 61st period of sessions, in Vienna, Austria from March 12 to 16. The agenda of this great international meeting addressed issues related to the application of drug treaties and the adoption of measures for the control of substances. In addition, topics such as monitoring current commitments such as the Political Declaration of 2009 and those acquired in 2016 on the World Drug Problem before the UN General Assembly were studied.

During the meeting in the Austrian capital, Colombia as the leading country in the fight against the World Drug Problem, organized a parallel seminar entitled: "Legal uses and markets for cannabis, coca leaf and poppy: breaking the imbalances and low stigma the focus of Ungass 2016 ". The purpose of the seminar was to discuss the role of research on medical, industrial and scientific applications to the plants under control. The discussion was based on the fact that stigmatization has slowed the generation of scientific evidence on the beneficial properties of plants such as cannabis, coca leaf, and poppy.

The Minister of Justice of Colombia, Enrique Gil Botero, participated in the seminar and stressed that his country is one of the 23 states in the world with legislation on medicinal cannabis. This legislation is based on the scientific evidence that gives this plant therapeutic value. Gil said that said legislation is consistent with the provisions of international drug treaties, which allow crops under state supervision to meet international demand for medical purposes.

Likewise, Dr. Gil Botero pointed out that medicinal cannabis crops represent a social and economic opportunity for Colombia, because the new post-conflict scenario in which the country finds itself demands innovative development policies. This demand in order to meet the needs of vulnerable populations and territories. In addition, the minister indicated that it is an economic opportunity for the cannabis farmers who are transiting from the world of illegality to the legal world. The cultivation of this type of plants allows the natural and medicinal benefits of certain plants such as coca, poppy and cannabis to be exploited. Additionally, the cultivation would allow the derivative elaboration of industrial products and also pharmacological products.

At the same time, Gil clarified that currently no such medicines are produced, but the respective licenses are being generated so that those who obtain them can produce the transformation IGNORE INTO basically medical products.

Finally, the Colombian delegation that attended this important event was chaired by the Vice President of the Republic, General (r) Óscar Naranjo and the Minister of Justice and Law, Enrique Gil Botero. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other representatives of national entities such as the High Council for Post-Conflict, Human Rights and Security also participated.

During the event, bilateral meetings were planned with delegates from Singapore, Peru, Spain, Thailand, Argentina, Canada, and the United States; with the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Yury Fedotov, and with the President of the International Narcotics Control Board, Viroj Sumyai.

Likewise, the Colombian delegation would attend two other parallel events related to Alternative Development. On the one hand, with Thailand and Germany in 'Exchange beyond borders: trilateral cooperation on alternative development between Germany, Colombia and Thailand'. On the other hand, with the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission of the OAS and Ecuador in 'Framework of reference for the expansion of Alternative, Integral and Sustainable Development in the Americas'.

Latin American Post | María Alejandra Triviño
Translated from “Colombia: ¿El cannabis como oportunidad social y económica?"