Colombia plans to decriminalise ecstasy in a bid to battle the nation's rampant drug problems

Justice minister wants possession of small amounts decriminalised

Colombia softened its stance on personal use of cocaine and cannabis

Proposal is an attempt to tackle nation's growing internal drug problem

Colombia may decriminalise the use of synthetic drugs, including ecstasy, as part of its plans to tackle social problems caused by its widespread drug problems.

The proposal by Justice Minister Ruth Stella Correa could replace laws which ban cocaine and marijuana, although people are not prosecuted for possessing small amounts.

Politicians are considering the legislation as a way to curb both drug use and trafficking in the country.

Illegal high: Ecstasy and other synthetic drugs may be decriminalised in Colombia after changes to the law were proposed

The nation has long been a major exporter of drugs, although cocaine production has dropped significantly in recent years, and has suffered countless murders and widespread political instability as a result of the powerful cartels who control the incredibly lucrative cocaine trade.

However, it also suffers from rampant drug abuse within its borders. Colombia's Ministry of Health reports that the consumption of drugs in Colombia's largest cities is increasing, with heroin addiction a particular concern.

Last year former Justice Minister Juan Carlos Esguerra said: 'It is indisputable that there are concerns in Colombia over the advancement of drug addiction in schools and universities.

A narcotics policeman alongside cocaine seized in the port of Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca department, Colombia. The country has a history of drug exporting but internal drug use is now becoming a major problem

Esguerra added that Colombia had gone from being a 'producer country to a consumer' in recent years.

Ms Stella Correa's comments followed a meeting with a commission set up to scrutinise the government's drug policies over the last 10 years.

The noted liberal highlighted that the nation's Constitutional Court had already criticised charging people carrying small amounts of marijuana and cocaine.

A Colombian child sniffs glue on the streets of Medellin, the former power base of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. Heroin use in particular is a growing cause of concern in urban areas.

'The new statute to be presented to the Congress during this mandate intends to make this authorisation concrete, but broadening it to include synthetic drugs into what is defined as the personal dose', she told Colombia's National Radio.

It is a stark contrast to Colombia's recent hardline approach to the drug problem, with laws that penalised possession and consumption.

A spokesman for the country's Green Party supported the plans.

They said: 'The problem in Colombia is a problem with soft drugs: marijuana and cocaine.



'The curse of drug trafficking depends fundamentally on cocaine and the decriminalisation in the world will end this business,' senator Roy Barreras told Caracol Radio station.

However, critics say that decriminalising the personal use of synthetic drugs will only make the debate more complicated.

And some argue the 'synthetic' definition could be applied to heroin, a growing problem in urban areas such as Cucuta, Medellin, Bogota, and regions such as the Coffee Region and the municipality of Santander de Quilichao in the Cauca department.

Last week, Colombia's president Juan Manuel Santos said the nation needed to reassess the 'war on drugs'.





