Colombia
South America
#7 of 196 worldwide
#2 of 12 in South America
The 'personal dose' of 20 g and up to 20 plants are protected by constitutional case law. A licensed medical industry exists; adult-use market bills have repeatedly fallen short.
Score breakdown ▏world average
Select a segment to show or hide the exact rules and sources.
Possession · 25%4/10adds 10.0 of 25 points
The 'personal dose' of up to 20 g of cannabis (5 g of hashish) cannot be punished: the Constitutional Court ruled in 1994 that personal use is protected by the right to free development of personality. Courts have also protected somewhat larger amounts when clearly for personal supply. Police can still confiscate in some public settings.
Personal cultivation · 25%5/10adds 12.5 of 25 points
Up to 20 plants for personal use are not a crime, confirmed by the Supreme Court in 2015. No licence or registration is needed — one of the most generous home-grow allowances anywhere, though it rests on case law rather than a statute granting a right.
Punishment & enforcement · 20%4/10adds 8.0 of 20 points
Users within the personal dose are not prosecuted, though stops, searches and confiscation are common. Trafficking carries long prison sentences.
Sharing & gifting · 10%2/10adds 2.0 of 10 points
Buying and selling are illegal, and there is no rule protecting gifts. Passing cannabis to another person can be treated as supply.
Consumption · 10%5/10adds 5.0 of 10 points
The Constitutional Court struck down the blanket ban on public consumption in 2019. Use is allowed in public, but the police code and municipalities restrict it around schools, parks, sports venues and where children are present, with fines and confiscation.
Legal access · 10%1/10adds 1.0 of 10 points
There is no legal adult-use market; bills to create one have repeatedly failed in Congress, most narrowly in the Senate. Medical products are available through pharmacies and clinics on prescription.
More context not part of the score
Since 2016 the state licenses cultivation, manufacture and export of medical cannabis, and many companies hold licences. Nothing may be produced for the adult-use market.
Home-grown flower for yourself; prescription oils, extracts and — more recently — dried flower in the medical channel. No legal recreational products.
Medical cannabis has been fully legal since 2016. Any doctor can prescribe, mostly compounded preparations, with partial insurance coverage in some cases.
No record for personal use. Police-code fines apply for use in restricted places.
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