Santos in favor of legalizing medical marijuana in Colombia

[Judi Lynn]

Santos in favor of legalizing medical marijuana in Colombia
Aug 14, 2014 posted by Adriaan Alsema

President Juan Manuel Santos expressed his support for a proposal to legalize marijuana for medical use in Colombia. According to the country’s president, “the war on drugs has failed.”

Santos made the statement at a forum on drugs in the Colombian capital Bogota. According to the president, “the current focus of the war on drugs has failed” as “the menace is still here.”

Santos, who admitted to smoking pot in college before his first election in 2010, said his current administration would much rather see a different approach to drug use, for example through allowing the sale of medical marijuana.

“We look favorably on the initiative regarding the therapeutic and medical use of marijuana,” said Santos about a proposal by Liberal Party Senator Juan Manuel Galan to allow cannabis for medical use. According to the president, ” we understand it is a practical and passive measure to reduce pain of terminal patients.”

More:
http://colombiareports.co/santos-medical-marijuana-colombia-legal/

[Judi Lynn]

1. Santos endorses medical marijuana for Colombia

Santos endorses medical marijuana for Colombia
Aug 14, 5:39 PM EDT

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -- Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos is endorsing the legalization of marijuana for medicinal and therapeutic use in the Andean nation.

Santos said at a drug policy forum Thursday in Bogota that he welcomes a bill introduced last month to effect the change. He says legalizing marijuana use for pain reduction will not just ease anxieties of the terminally ill but also remove criminals from the supply equation.

In the Americas, Uruguay has approved pot legalization and Jamaica's justice minister announced in June plans to legalize the drug for religious and medical purposes.

The Colombian bill was introduced by Sen. Juan Manuel Galan, whose father was assassinated in 1989 by cocaine traffickers. Galan tells The Associated Press that countries including Argentina, Brazil and Chile are considering similar measures.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LT_COLOMBIA_MEDICAL_MARIJUANA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-08-14-17-39-51

(Short article, no more at link.)

LBN:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014871054