Colombia: Ministry Of Justice Regulates The Medical And Scientific Use Of Cannabis

Through Resolutions 577–579, issued on August 8, 2017, the Ministry of Justice has regulated matters relating to (i) the evaluation and monitoring of licenses for the seeding and cultivation of cannabis plants, (ii) the amount of the fees for the evaluation and monitoring of licenses and (iii) the criteria for defining small and medium-sized domestic cannabis producers.

1. Licenses to plant and cultivate cannabis plants.

• Applications for a first-time license; for a recertification, modification or cancellation of an existing license; or for other extraordinary authorizations must be submitted in writing and signed by the applicant, the license holder or their legal representative.
• Applications for licenses must be made using the application form published on the website of the Ministry of Justice, and a hard copy of the application, including all corresponding attachments, must be filed at the offices of the Ministry of Justice.
• Applications may be submitted at any time, with the exception of the recertification request, which must be requested three months before expiration of the license.
• All applicants must prepare and submit a safety protocol that includes a risk analysis of, and. measures to guarantee, the physical and operational safety of the areas and properties intended for cultivation.

2. Follow-up to licenses

• Licensees must record all movements and transactions in an Information Mechanism for Cannabis Control (MICC) and make semiannual reports on the inventory and movement of seeds and plants.

3. Licensing fees

• The payment of the fee may be made in installments. However, once the application is filed, the application fee is non-refundable.

4. Criteria for defining small and medium-sized growers, producers and marketers of medicinal cannabis products.

• They are small and medium-sized growers, producers and national marketers of medicinal cannabis, natural persons that have a total area of approximately 1.23 acres for its cultivation.
• The licenses can be granted to associative schemes composed of small and medium growers, producers and marketers. In these cases, each of the members of the association will be evaluated.
• In order to file, you must submit the application in accordance with the format established by the Ministry of Justice, including providing the name and identification of the interested party, the description of the area of cultivation, the real estate registration of the property, and the title holder of the property.

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