The law prohibiting the possession and consumption of psychotropic substances does not violate human rights, Colombia’s Inspector General said Monday.
Appealing to Colombia’s highest judicial authorities, which have ruled that drug possession for personal use “cannot be subject to sanction,” he asked that psychotropic drugs remain illegal.
This announcement came after Colombian police chief Oscar Naranjo proposed the decriminalization of marijuana to local media.
The Prosecutor General Eduardo Montealegre also believes it is necessary to legalize carrying a small dose and that it should be considered a public health issue, not a criminal one. It is a violation of human rights to prohibit such amounts, he says.
But according to Inspector General Alejandro Ordonez, the possession of drugs in small quantities cannot be separated from drug trafficking which involves the large-scale production, transportation and sale of illegal substances.
Narcotic or psychotropic substances were only allowed if prescribed by a doctor, said Ordonez.