He cannabis sector in Colombia is going through a strong crisis due to the prohibition of the sale of the flower in the country, harming those who work marketing this product within the framework of the law.
Camilo de Guzmanpresident of the board of directors of the Colombian Association of Cannabis Industries (Asocolcanna), stopped by the microphones of La W to talk about the topic.
“We are at a critical moment as an industry. In 2023, of the 15,000 hectares licensed for the cultivation of psychoactive cannabis, only about 17 were cultivated; Of 3,000 cannabis licensees, only 18 exported for commercial purposes. These are figures less than 1%”, he explained.
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Likewise, he brought up a study of Fedesarrollowhere it is stated that by 2024 in Colombia the cannabis industry should be exporting close to 800 million dollars, when the reality is that only 30 million are exported.
“This has caused several companies to close and go into liquidation, something that contrasts with the reality of illegal cannabis in Cauca (…) Clearly there is a market, but it is illegal, meaning that in the legal sector we cannot meet commercial needs,” he assured.
The prohibition of the purchase and sale of cannabis flower is the main focus of the problem, since this product is one of the products that generates the most income in countries such as Germany, Israel and Australia.
“In 50% of medical cannabis sales, patients have to go to the black market, and that generates consequences for the formal industry that has invested in high standards and safe products (…) An industry where Colombia has everything to be a leader world is tight because it does not have a local market to serve, market that exists and that is served by illegality”, he asserted.
Could legality contribute to public health?
“When consuming products that are found on the street, it is not known if they have heavy metals, pesticides, aflatoxins, microbiological content, a lot of things that are harmful to health, however, in the regulated market people do know that it is what it has, with labeling, safe products,” he concluded, adding that “impossible” standards are required of the industry to meet.
Listen to the full interview on La W:
Colombia demands standards from the cannabis industry that are impossible to meet: Asocolcanna
