Cannabis in Colombia

Colombia regulates cannabis for medical and scientific purposes under Law 1787 of 2016, with the detailed rules collected in Title 11 of Decree 780 of 2016. It is one of Latin America's largest licensed production bases: companies hold cultivation licences from the Ministry of Justice and manufacturing licences for cannabis derivatives, and several export flower and extracts to Europe, Australia and elsewhere. Press reports published in August 2026 said Clever Leaves alone accounted for about 63% of legal exports in 2024.

Inside Colombia there is no legal adult-use market. Patients obtain THC-containing products with a doctor's prescription, usually as a magistral preparation (a compounded oil or ointment) made by a pharmacy that INVIMA has certified in good elaboration practices and that is registered with the national narcotics fund (Fondo Nacional de Estupefacientes). Some clinics dispense these preparations to health-insurance (EPS) patients when a MIPRES authorization is issued. Low-THC CBD products are sold as cosmetics or other INVIMA-notified products, and the regulator publishes the relevant notification numbers.

The main recent change is Decree 1138 of 27 October 2025. It redefines a finished product so that dried cannabis flower can be sold for medical purposes once it has the applicable health authorization, lets cultivation licences cover domestic supply as well as export, and gives ministries five months to issue technical rules and a simplified licence route for small and medium growers. Implementation was still under way in 2026: in May 2026 a draft decree proposed opening the flower market in phases, starting with Indigenous growers in five Cauca municipalities. Check the status before assuming flower is in pharmacies.

Outside the medical system, the law has long tolerated personal use. The personal dose set in Law 30 of 1986 is 20 grams of marijuana (5 grams of hashish), and courts treat intent to consume, not only weight, as decisive. Adults may grow a small number of plants for themselves without a licence; Decree 1138 restates that self-cultivation is outside the licensing system as long as nothing is supplied to third parties. The commonly cited limit is 20 plants. Selling cannabis without a licence remains a crime.

Adult-use legalization is under debate again. Bill 023 of 2025, sponsored by Representative Alejandro Ocampo, passed its first debate in the House's First Committee on 12 May 2026; it still needs further votes in the House and Senate. Earlier attempts failed, so treat any legalization headlines with caution. This page is general information, not legal advice.